Diseases and surveillance

Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD)

Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is a rare but serious bacterial infection. It usually spreads through respiratory droplets or respiratory secretions. Getting vaccinated is the best protection. We monitor and report on IPD in our community, including national case numbers and trends.

At a glance

About IPD

IPD is caused by bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae – also known as pneumococcus. These bacteria can often live harmlessly in the nose and throat causing no symptoms. 

Most pneumococcal infections are not invasive and include ear and sinus infections. 

But when pneumococcal bacteria enter parts of the body where bacteria are not usually found – such as in the blood, brain and spinal cord or lungs – the infection becomes invasive and symptoms are often severe or life-threatening. 

Why it matters to public health

IPD can cause severe illness and death if not treated quickly.

Some types of Streptococcus pneumoniae have evolved to become resistant to some antibiotics. This means infections with these strains are harder to treat. Detecting antibiotic-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae is critical to prevent further spread of resistant strains.

Pneumococcal vaccines are very effective. Since the vaccines were added to the National Immunisation Program, IPD in children aged under 2 years has reduced substantially.

Due to the seriousness of IPD, we monitor and report on infections in Australia.

Symptoms

If you’re looking for advice about your own health or treatment options, see healthdirect or speak with a qualified healthcare professional. Our role is to provide public health advice – information and guidance that helps prevent disease, protect communities and improve wellbeing at a population level.

IPD symptoms vary depending on where the infection is in the body. The most common IPD presentations are: 

  • inflammation of the lining of the brain (meningitis)
  • lung infection (pneumonia)
  • bloodstream infections.

Meningitis symptoms can include:

Pneumonia symptoms can include:

Bloodstream infection symptoms can include:

  • fever
  • chills
  • drowsiness
  • pain.

Read more about the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of IPD.

healthdirect’s symptom checker can help you decide whether to see a healthcare professional. If you or someone you care for has serious symptoms, see your healthcare professional immediately.

Check your symptoms

Onset of symptoms

Symptoms usually start between 1 and 3 days after getting infected.

How it spreads 

Pneumococcal bacteria are carried in the nose or throat of healthy people. They can spread to other people by:

  • breathing in contaminated respiratory droplets – released when someone talks, coughs or sneezes
  • direct contact with contaminated saliva or mucus from the nose or mouth
  • contact with items contaminated with respiratory droplets, saliva or mucus.

People can get IPD more than once.

Infectious period

It is not well known how long people with IPD can spread the bacteria to others.

People who are treated with antibiotics are usually no longer infectious after about 1 to 2 days.

Prevention

Vaccination is the best protection against IPD.

Get vaccinated

Vaccination is recommended for:

  • infants and children
  • adults aged 70 years and older
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples aged 50 years and older
  • people with certain medical conditions.

Eligible people can get pneumococcal vaccines for free under the National Immunisation Program or state or territory programs. Your healthcare professional or vaccine provider can help you determine how many doses your or you child need. If you are not eligible for a free vaccine, you can buy one from your health professional or pharmacy.

Priority groups and settings

Some people are at greater risk of getting IPD or being exposed to the bacteria that cause it.

People at greater risk of severe disease

IPD is a severe illness. People at greater risk of developing IPD might include:

  • babies born early (before 37 weeks)
  • children aged under 5 years
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
  • adults aged 65 years and older
  • people without a spleen or with chronic heart, lung, liver or kidney disease
  • people who are immunocompromised
  • people with some chronic conditions like diabetes or chromosomal abnormalities
  • people with certain medical devices or conditions:
    • leak of fluid around the brain and spinal cord
    • cochlear implants
    • shunts inside the skull
  • people exposed to cigarette smoke or vaping
  • people who have had IPD before
  • people who use alcohol excessively.

People at greater risk of exposure

People might be at greater risk of being exposed to the bacteria if they spend a lot of time in crowded settings.

This might include:

  • over-crowded households
  • early childhood education and care centres
  • correctional and detention facilities
  • shelters for people experiencing homelessness
  • residential care homes.

Diagnosis and treatment 

IPD can be diagnosed with tests of samples that might include:

You can use healthdirect’s directory to find a health service near you.

Find a health service

People with IPD are usually treated with antibiotics and cared for in hospital.

Read more about how to manage or treat IPD.

Surveillance and reporting

IPD is a nationally notifiable disease – these are diseases that present a risk to public health.

Health authorities in each state and territory report new laboratory confirmed cases to us through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

This is part of our surveillance activities, which help us monitor case numbers around the country and understand disease patterns.

We analyse the data and report on case numbers and other data through our data visualisation tool, where you can filter and search the latest information.

Outbreaks

Outbreaks of IPD are rare, but they can occur in some settings.

Public health authorities might respond to outbreaks of IPD. Actions might include providing information about IPD and how to prevent it. 

Read more about how the Australian Government defines and plans for outbreaks. 

Support

For information about IPD in each state or territory, see:

If you need mental health support, see a list of organisations, websites and services that offer support, counselling and information.

Latest resources

National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) public datasets

This collection contains National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) datasets for influenza, meningococcal disease, pneumococcal disease and salmonellosis. We update these in July of each year to include the previous year's notifications and all updates.

NNDSS public dataset – pneumococcal disease (invasive)

This National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) dataset provides records of invasive pneumococcal disease cases from 2009 to 2024, by month and other patient variables. We update it in July of each year to include the previous year's notifications and all updates.

Invasive pneumococcal disease – Laboratory case definition

The Public Health Laboratory Network (PHLN) has developed standard case definitions for the diagnosis of key diseases in Australia. This document contains the laboratory case definition for invasive pneumococcal disease.
Related resources
Last updated:
Disease groups:
  • Respiratory
  • Airborne