PNEUMOCOCCAL CONJUGATE VACCINE

STREPTOCOCCUS PNEUMONIAE
(PNEUMOCOCCUS)
MAJOR DISEASES:

PNEUMONIA MENINGITIS BACTAEREMIA

LESS SERIOUS:
SINUSITIS
OTITIS MEDIA
BRONCHITIS
This high-risk group includes adults 65 years of age
or older and children younger than 2 years of age.

People who have conditions that weaken the

immune system, like diabetes, heart disease, lung
disease, and HIV/AIDS, or people who smoke
cigarettes or have asthma are also at increased risk
for getting pneumococcal disease.
Rates of nasopharyngeal colonization vary by age,
geography, and population studied. Risk factors for
pneumococcal carriage include age younger than 2
years (especially infants), attendance at out-of-home
child care, exposure to overcrowding and household
smoking, winter season, and lack of breastfeeding
(despite the fact that protective factors in human milk
have yet to be identified).
Among adults, those living in households with young
children are more likely to be colonized with
pneumococcus in their nasopharynx than adults
without such exposure
TRANSMISSION
Respiratory droplets, direct oral contacts,
indirectly through articles freshly soiled with
respiratory discharges

Pneumococcal infections are more common

during the winter and in early spring when
respiratory diseases are more common.
MANAGEMENT
Practice hygiene and cleanliness
Wash your hands often.
If soap and water aren’t available, clean hands with hand sanitizer (containing at
least 60% alcohol).
Don’t touch your eyes, nose, or mouth. If you need to touch your face, make sure your
hands are clean.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when
coughing or sneezing.
Try to avoid close contact, such as kissing, hugging, or sharing eating utensils or cups,
with people who are sick.
Antibiotics can treat pneumococcal disease.
However, many types of pneumococcal
bacteria have become resistant to some of the
antibiotics used to treat these infections
 2 TYPES OF VACCINE
• PNEUMOCOCCAL CONJUGATE VACCINE
- PROTECTS AGAINST 13 TYPES OF
PNEUMOCOCCAL BACTERIA.
- DOCTORS GIVE THIS VACCINE TO CHILDREN AT
2, 4, 6, AND 12 THROUGH 15 MONTHS OLD
- THE VACCINE’S PROTECTION LASTS AT LEAST 3 YEARS.
PNEUMOCOCCAL POLYSACCHARIDE VACCINE
- PROTECTS AGAINST 23 TYPES OF PNEUMOCOCCAL
BACTERIA
- FOR ALL ADULTS 65 YEARS OR OLDER AND FOR
THOSE 2 YEARS OR OLDER AT INCREASED RISK FOR
DISEASE.
VACCINES THAT HELP PROTECT AGAINST PNEUMOCOCCAL DISEASE
WORK WELL, BUT CANNOT PREVENT ALL CASES.
STUDIES SHOW THAT AT LEAST 1 DOSE OF PNEUMOCOCCAL
CONJUGATE VACCINE PROTECTS
• At least 8 in 10 babies from serious infections called invasive pneumococcal
disease
• 75 in 100 adults 65 years or older against invasive pneumococcal disease
• 45 in 100 adults 65 years or older against pneumococcal pneumonia

Studies* show that 1 dose of pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine protects

• Between 50 to 85 in 100 healthy adults against invasive pneumococcal disease
POSSIBLE RISKS OF PCV AND PPSV VACCINES

Kids may have redness, tenderness, or swelling

where the shot was given. A child also might have a
fever after getting the shot. There is a very small
chance of an allergic reaction with any vaccine.