Pneumonia Vaccine: What You Should Know
Pneumococcal disease (pneumonia) is a serious disease that kills more people in the U.S. each year than all other vaccine-preventable diseases combined. Anyone can get it, but those 65 and over, the very young and people with special health problems are at greater risk. These health problems include alcoholism, heart or lung disease, kidney failure, diabetes, HIV infection or certain types of cancer.
Drugs such as penicillin were once effective in treating pneumococcal infections, but the disease has become more resistant to them, making treatment more difficult. This makes prevention of the disease through vaccination even more important.
The pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV) protects against 23 types of pneumococcal bacteria. Most healthy adults who get the vaccine develop protection to most or all of these types within two to three weeks of getting the shot. The very old, children under two years, and people with some long-term illnesses might not respond as well or at all.
Who Should Get the Vaccine?
Those who should get PPV: all adults 65 years of age or older; anyone over 2 years of age who has a long-term health problem, anyone over 2 years of age who has a disease or condition that lowers the body’s resistance to infection or is taking a drug or treatment that lowers the body’s resistance to infection, plus Alaskan Natives and certain Native American populations.
PPV may be less effective in some people, especially those with lower resistance to infection, but these people should still be vaccinated, because they are more likely to get seriously ill from pneumococcal disease.
Usually, Only One Dose Needed
Usually, only one dose of PPV is all that is needed. However, under some circumstances a second dose may be given. A second dose is recommended for those age 65 and older who got their first dose when they were under 65, if five or more years have passed since that dose. A second dose is also recommended for people who have certain serious medical conditions.
For more information, ask your doctor, call your local or state health department, call the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1/800/232-7468 (English) or 1/800/232-0233 (Spanish), or visit the CDC’s National Immunization Program website at http://www.cdc.gov/nip.