PNEUMONIA

Pneumonia is a common respiratory infection that causes more than one million hospitalizations and more than 50,000 deaths annually (ALA, 2022). Anyone can get pneumonia, but two age groups are at higher risk of developing pneumonia and having a more serious form of the disease:

• Babies and children (2 years of age or younger) are at higher risk because their immune systems are not yet mature. This risk is especially high for premature babies.
• Older adults (65 years of age or older) are also at higher risk because immune systems typically weaken with age. Older adults are also more likely to have other chronic health issues that increase the risk of pneumonia.

Babies, children, and older adults who do not receive the recommended vaccines to prevent pneumonia have an even higher risk (NHLBI, 2022).

2023–2024 Pneumonia Vaccine Updates

There are currently two types of pneumococcal vaccine available in the United States: pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) and pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13, PCV15, and PCV20) (Papke & Cochran, 2023).

The CDC recommends routine administration of PCV13 or PCV15 for all children younger than 2 years of age as follows: Give PCV13 or PCV15 to infants as a series of 4 doses, one dose at each of these ages: 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, and 12 through 15 months.

Children ages 2 through 4 years who miss their shots or start the series later should still be vaccinated. The number of doses recommended and the intervals between doses will depend on the child’s age when vaccination begins (CDC, 2023d; CDC, 2023h; CDC, 2023i).

Children ages 2 through 5 years with certain medical conditions (such as chronic heart disease, cerebrospinal fluid leak, chronic lung disease, diabetes mellitus, HIV infection, chronic renal failure, or cochlear implant) that increase their risk of pneumococcal disease should be vaccinated with either PCV13 or PCV15 (CDC, 2023i).

Children ages 6 through 18 years with medical conditions such as cochlear implant, cerebrospinal fluid leak, or diseases associated with treatment of immunosuppressive drugs or radiation therapy should be vaccinated with PCV13 or PCV15 (CDC, 2023i).

Adults ages 19 through 64 years of age with conditions such as alcoholic chronic liver disease, lung or cardiac disease, or immunodeficiency or who smoke cigarettes should be vaccinated with either PCV13 or PCV15 (CDC, 2023i).

The CDC recommends routine administration of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV15 or PCV20) for all adults ages 65 years or older who have never received any pneumococcal conjugate vaccine or whose previous vaccination history is unknown. If PCV15 is used, this should be followed by a dose of PPSV23 one year later. The minimum interval is 8 weeks and can be considered in adults with an immunocompromising condition, cochlear implant, or cerebrospinal fluid leak. If PCV20 is used, a dose of PPSV23 is NOT indicated (CDC, 2023d; CDC, 2023h; CDC, 2023i).

Impact of Pneumonia Vaccination on General Health

The pneumococcal vaccine protects people who are most at risk for serious pneumococcal infections that can lead to serious complications, hospitalization, or even death. It is important to be aware that the vaccine helps protects against the most common types of bacterial pneumonia, but not all of them. There are many different types of bacterial pneumonia, but the vaccine will significantly reduce the risk of the common forms of the disease (Cleveland Clinic, 2021).

Receiving a flu shot also helps to prevent pneumonia, since influenza is a fairly common trigger of pneumonia. Thus, preventing the flu is a good way to reduce the risk of developing pneumonia.

The CDC has published the following research findings regarding the effectiveness of the pneumococcal vaccines:

• Compared to unvaccinated children, children who received PCV7 had 20% fewer episodes of chest X-ray confirmed pneumonia, 7% fewer episodes of acute otitis media, and 20% fewer tympanostomy tube placements.
• More than 80% of healthy adults who received the PPSV23 vaccine developed antibodies against the serotypes contained in the vaccine. Older adults and persons with some chronic illnesses or immunodeficiency may not respond as well.
• Efficacy studies have resulted in various estimates of clinical effectiveness. Overall, the PPSV23 vaccine is 60%–70% effective in preventing invasive disease caused by serotypes in the vaccine.
  (CDC, 2022c)