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Copyright of Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal is the property of World Health Organization and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The objective of this study was to analyse the effect of the introduction in 2010 of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) on the reduction in mortality from respiratory causes in children under 5 years in Morocco. Child mortality rates from respiratory cause were analysed using an interrupted time series analysis. Mortality rates from congenital and chromosomal causes were also analysed for comparative purposes. In the post-vaccination period, child mortality rates from respiratory causes decreased by 28% (Mortality rate ratio (MRR) = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.58–0.83) and by 30% in children under 1 year (MRR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.50–0.98). In children aged between 1 and 5 years, the decrease in the child mortality rate was not statistically significant (MRR = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.91–1.08). Mortality rates from congenital and chromosomal causes in the post-vaccination period were stable in children under 5 years (MRR = 1.19, 95% CI: 0.97–1.48), in children under 1 year (MRR = 1.15, 95% CI: 0.94–1.40) and in children aged between 1 and 5 years (MRR = 1.19, 95% CI: 0.97–1.48). The decrease in child mortality from respiratory causes in the post-vaccination period provides strong evidence of the effectiveness of PCV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]