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The major role of vaccination for children with sickle cell disease (SCD) Volume 19, issue 4, Octobre-Novembre-Décembre 2016

Author
Pédiatre, rédacteur en chef adjoint de MTP
* Tirés à part

Children with SCD often get serious bacterial infections. It is the main cause of mortality before the age of 3. If not taken care of, 50% of those ill children die before the age of 5. However, in less than 10 years, in reference centers for SCD, mortality by infection has almost disappeared, thanks to two measures: A daily oral antibiotic therapy based on penicillin derivatives; An early 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine which efficacy is superior to 80%. Pneumococcus is SCD patients’ worst enemy. Patients with SCD are threatened by the same germs as those encountered by splenectomised people and people with defective alternative complement pathway. This goes to show the importance of haemophilus B and meningococcus vaccination. Finally, hepatitis B vaccine is highly necessary due to the frequency of blood transfusions and to the risks related to journeys in countries with high incidences of hepatitis B. By respecting some fundamental rules, such as daily hyperhydratation and respecting the immunisation schedule of the country, the child should live a normal life.