Pneumococcal
disease is an infection caused by a bacteria. When these
bacteria invade the lungs, they cause the most common type of
pneumococcal disease, pneumococcal pneumonia. The same bacteria
can also attack the bloodstream (bacteremia) and/or the brain
(meningitis). Pneumococcal pneumonia alone infects about 500,000
people in the United States every year. Every year, about 40,000
people die of pneumococcal infections. The most common symptoms
of pneumococcal pneumonia are sudden shaking, chills, cough, and
fever.
Pneumococcal
disease is a bacterial infection, so it is treated with
antibiotics. However, many strains are becoming resistant to the
antibiotics usually used. When someone is infected with an
antibiotic-resistant strain, only very expensive antibiotics,
often with much higher risks of side effects, can be used.
Because
pneumococcal
infection is common in infants and children under 2 years of
age, a new vaccine, pneumococcal conjugate 7 valent vaccine (PCV),
is recommended for all children 2-23 months of age and for some
children 24-59 months.
Some people
are at high risk for pneumococcal disease - the following
persons should be vaccinated with
pneumococcal polysaccharide (23-valent) vaccine:
- Persons
age 65 years and older
- Persons
with chronic heart, lung, or liver disease
- Persons
with diabetes
- Persons
with immunologic disorders or who are immunocompromised
(cancer patients, persons with HIV infection, organ
transplants, and those receiving steroids, chemotherapy, or
radiation therapy)
- Persons
who have had their spleen removed or have dysfunction of the
spleen due to sickle cell anemia
- Persons
who have a leakage of spinal fluid, or nephrotic syndrome (a
chronic kidney condition that causes loss of protein through
the urine)
- Persons
with organ or bone marrow transplants
- Persons
with chronic kidney failure
Older adults who
received their first dose before age 65 should receive a second
dose after 65 if 5 years have passed since the first dose.
Some
individuals should receive a second dose of pneumococcal vaccine
if 5 or more years have elapsed (3 or more years in the case of
persons age 10 years or less) since their first dose of vaccine:
- Persons
with organ or bone marrow transplants
- Persons
who have had their spleen removed, or whose spleen is
damaged (such as from sickle cell anemia)
- Persons
who were less than age 65 years at the time of their first
dose of vaccine
- Persons
with immunologic disorders or who are immunocompromised
(cancer patients, persons with HIV infection, organ
transplants, and those receiving steroids, chemotherapy, or
radiation therapy)
Other than these
exceptions, there is currently no routine indication for a
second dose of pneumococcal vaccine.
|
|
|
