Why get vaccinated?
Vaccination can provide protection to older adults (and some children and younger adults) from pneumococcal disease.
Pneumococcal disease is caused by bacteria that can spread from person to person through close contact. It can cause ear infections and can also cause more serious infections of:
Baga (pneumonia),
Blood (bacteremia), and
Cover of the brain and spine (meningitis). Meningitis can cause deafness and brain damage and can be fatal.
Anyone can get pneumococcal disease, but children under 2 years of age, people with certain medical conditions, adults over the age of 65, and smokers are at the highest risk.
About 18,000 older adults die each year from pneumococcal disease in the United States.
Treatment of pneumococcal infection using penicillin and other medications used to be more effective. But some strains of the disease are no longer immune to these drugs. This makes it even more important to prevent disease through vaccination.
Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23)
The pneumococcal polysaccharide (PPSV23) vaccine protects against 23 types of pneumococcal bacteria. It does not prevent all pneumococcal diseases.
PPSV23 is recommended for:
All adults age 65 and older,
Anyone 2 to 64 years old with some long-term health problems,
Anyone 2 to 64 years old with a weak immune system,
Adults aged 19 to 64 years who smoke or have asthma.
Most people only need one dose of PPSV. The second dose is recommended for some high-risk groups. People 65 years of age and older should take the dose even if they get one or more doses of the vaccine before they are 65.
Your health care provider can give you more information about these recommendations.
Most healthy adults get protection within 2 to 3 weeks from the injection.
There are some people who should not receive this vaccine
Anyone with a life-threatening allergic reaction to PPSV should not take another dose.
Anyone with a chronic allergy to any part of PPSV should not receive it. Tell your provider if you have any chronic allergies.
Anyone with a moderate or chronic illness when the injection is scheduled can wait until they recover before getting vaccinated. A person with mild illness can usually get vaccinated.
This vaccine should not be received by children under 2 years of age.
There is no evidence that PPSV is harmful to a pregnant woman or her pregnant woman. However, as a precaution, women who need the vaccine should be vaccinated before getting pregnant, if possible.
Risks of a vaccine reaction
In any medicine, including vaccines, there is a chance of side effects. It is usually mild and will go away on its own but serious reactions are also possible.
About half of people who develop PPSV have mild side effects, such as redness or pain where the injection is made, which disappears within two days. Less than 1 in 100 people develop fever, muscle aches or more severe local reactions.
Problems that can occur after any vaccine:
People sometimes faint after a medical procedure, including vaccination. Sitting or lying down for about 15 minutes after vaccination can help prevent fainting, and injuries caused by falls. Tell your doctor if you feel dizzy, or have changes in vision or ringing in the ears.
Some people develop severe shoulder pain and have difficulty moving the arm to which the injection was given. This happens very rarely.
Any medication can cause a severe allergic reaction. Such reactions from a vaccine are very rare, estimated at about 1 in a million doses, and occur within minutes to several hours after vaccination.
As with any medicine, there is a very small chance that a vaccine will cause serious injury or death.
The safety of vaccines is constantly monitored.
What if there is a serious reaction?
What should I look for?
Look for anything that gives you concern, such as signs of severe allergies, very high fever, or behavioral changes. Signs of severe allergies may include hives, swelling of the face and throat, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, and weakness. They will start
for a few minutes to a few hours after vaccination.
What should I do?
If you think this is a serious allergic reaction or other emergency that cannot wait, call your local emergency services or take the person to the nearest hospital. Otherwise, call your doctor.
