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>> PNEUMOCOCCUS IS A BACTERIA THAT CAUSES MENINGITIS,
WHICH IS AN INFECTION OF THE BRAIN AND SPINAL CORD.
PNEUMONIA, WHICH IS AN INFECTION OF THE LUNGS AND BLOODSTREAM
INFECTIONS, ALSO KNOWN AS SEPSIS.
THE PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINE WAS FIRST USED FOR BABIES IN
THE UNITED STATES IN THE YEAR 2000.
BEFORE THAT PNEUMOCOCCUS CAUSED THOUSANDS OF SEVERE INFECTIONS
EVERY YEAR IN YOUNG CHILDREN, AND SOME FAMILIES ARE STILL
COPING WITH THE CONSEQUENCES OF THOSE INFECTIONS.
>> YEAH, I CAN REMEMBER WE HAD AN EARACHE, THEN IT WAS SORT
OF A SEVERE EARACHE.
THEN IT WAS NAUSEA, AND HE COULD NOT KEEP ANYTHING DOWN,
AND WE WERE STARTING TO BE DEHYDRATED.
THEN IT WAS COLLIN HALLUCINATING,
AND WE KNEW WE WERE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE.
THEN THE DOCTORS ARE STARTING TO, AT THE EMERGENCY ROOM,
WERE SHOWING SOME VERY SERIOUS CONCERN.
AND WE START HEARING OF THINGS THAT,
YOU KNOW, SUPERFICIALLY SOUND TERRIBLE,
BUT WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING.
IT IS A OUR FIRST CHILD.
WE HAD NO IDEA WHAT MENINGITIS WAS.
>> THEY HAD A CONFIRMATION THROUGH A SPINAL TAP THAT COLLIN
HAD A WHITE CELL COUNT OF 26, THAT THEY COULD NOT GUARANTEE US
HE WAS GOING TO LIVE.
>> THE DOCTORS ARE STILL SAYING, "IT'S ALL PROBABILITY.
YOU'RE NOT OUT OF THE WOODS YET.
SOMETHING COULD HAPPEN.
YOU KNOW, JUST BE EMOTIONAL PREPARED FOR IT."
AND IT WAS REALLY TOWARDS THE ENDS WHERE I THOUGHT
WE WERE BEYOND IT ALL.
WE HAD BEEN OUT OF THE EMERGENCY FOR A BIT,
AND HE SEEMED TO BE GETTING A LITTLE BETTER.
AND THEN HE HAD A TERRIBLE HEADACHE ONE NIGHT,
AND HE WAS COMPLAINING OF SEVERE PAIN OUTSIDE HIS EAR.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHEN HE LOST THE HEARING IN THAT EAR.
>> SO MANY PEOPLE SAY TO US, WHY IS THIS STILL A TRAGEDY FOUR
YEARS LATER?
I THINK YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL.
AND THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS, WE ARE INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL.
BUT COLLIN IS PROFOUNDLY DEAF IN THE LEFT EAR.
>> ONCE YOU'VE LOST HEARING IN ONE EAR,
THE CONCENTRATION IS VERY DIFFICULT.
YOU CAN'T AUTOMATICALLY FILTER OUT BACKGROUND NOISES.
ALL NOISE IS COMING THROUGH.
SO IMAGINE A MOVIE WHERE YOU REALLY COULDN'T HEAR THE MAIN
CHARACTER SPEAK BECAUSE THE TRAFFIC AND EVERYTHING ELSE
WAS THE SAME VOLUME.
THAT'S HIS LIFE.
>> SO HOW DO WE KEEP PNEUMOCOCCUS FROM HARMING OUR CHILDREN?
THE BACTERIA PNEUMOCOCCUS IS COVERED BY A COMPLEX SUGAR.
THE PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINE IS MADE BY TAKING THE SUGAR COAT,
STRIPPING IT AWAY FROM THE BACTERIA,
AND ATTACHING IT TO A HELPFUL PROTEIN.
NOW, CHILDREN CAN DEVELOP IMMUNITY TO PNEUMOCOCCUS WITHOUT
EVER HAVING TO RISK INFECTION IN THE ACTUAL BACTERIA.
>> JUST LIKE THE PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINE,
THE NEXT VACCINE PREVENTS WHAT WAS AT ONE TIME A VERY COMMON
CAUSE OF BACTERIAL MENINGITIS.