The pediatric pneumococcal vaccine, Prevnar, is to blame for an INCREASE in drug-resistant ear infections.

  Drug-resistant ear infections in kids are beginning to emerge. Some claim that the Prevnar vaccine is partly at fault.

  Prevnar covers only 7 of 91 pneumococcal serotypes. This provides an opportunity for the remaining serotypes not covered by the vaccine to take over...known as "replacement disease."

  But to say Prevnar is to blame for the increase in resistant infections is misleading. It's not Prevnar which is causing the increase...it is inappropriate antibiotic use. The gains we've made with Prevnar are clouded over by the expansion of resistant clones not covered by the vaccine.