EFFECTIVENESS OF PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINATION IN REDUCING SEVERITY OF EXACERBATIONS AND DURATION OF HOSPITAL STAY IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIECTASIS PRESENTING TO A TERTIARY HEALTH CENTER

Introduction: Bronchiectasis is a chronic suppurative airway disease which progresses with recurrent exacerbations due to viral and Pneumococcal infections. One of the most effective methods of prevention of Pneumococcal infection is vaccination against it. This study is intended to assess effectiveness of Pneumococcal vaccination in reducing severity of exacerbations in bronchiectasis. All bronchiectasis patients who have taken Pneumococcal vaccinations were interview Methods: ed regarding number of exacerbations, number of days of hospitalization and oxygen requirement one year prior to and one year after the vaccination, and the answers were crosschecked with their case sheets to avoid recall bias and the means were compared with t-test to identify presence of any significant difference over one year. Over the one year after Pneumococcal vaccination, number of exacerbations, Results: number of hospital admissions, number of days in ICU, ward and the days in ventilator and the requirement for long term oxygen therapy reduced significantly in the study population. Pneumococcal vaccination significantly improves the quality of life in a bronchiectasis Conclusion: patient by reducing both the frequency and severity of exacerbations of the disease and also the morbidities associated with prolonged hospital stays.