Pneumococcal disease in Sweden: experiences and current situation

During the last decade, the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease in Sweden has risen, seemingly due chiefly to an increasing incidence of pneumococcal bacteremia among the elderly. On the other hand, mortality due to invasive disease in Sweden is low, approximately 10% for bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia. Beta-lactam resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae is still a relatively minor problem in Sweden, with only 3%–4% of strains demonstrating decreased susceptibility to penicillin. However, local outbreaks of pneumococcal disease with up to 10% resistance have occurred among children, especially in southern Sweden.