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| Vaccine-Preventable Diseases |
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Pneumococcal Disease |
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People sometimes call pneumococcal disease "pneumonia." Pneumococcal disease is caused by bacteria, which can lead to serious infection in the lungs, blood, and brain. |
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You can catch the pneumococcal bacteria from people who cough or sneeze around you. |
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Even if you get good medical care, pneumonia can be deadly. The disease is hard to treat because the bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics. Pneumococcal disease kills about
3,000 people each year in the United States. |
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Anyone can get pneumococcal disease. You are at greater risk if you are 65 or older, very young, have heart or lung disease,
or your immune system is weakened. |
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Vaccination is the best way to prevent pneumococcal infection. |
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There are two types of pneumococcal vaccine – pneumococcal conjugate (PCV, known as Prevnar) and pneumococcal polysaccharide (PPSV, known as Pneumovax). |
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Some people need only one type of pneumococcal vaccine. But some people need both types. |
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| Children |
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| Children should receive 4 doses of Prevnar. The first dose should be given at 2 months, the second dose at 4 months, the third dose at 6 months, and the fourth dose at 12-15 months. Older children (through 4 years of age) who were not vaccinated as infants need 1 or 2 doses of Prevnar. Prevnar is not recommended for healthy children 5 years of age and older. Some children age 2 years and older with certain health conditions (such as heart or lung disease or treatment with certain medications) may also need one or more doses of Pneumovax. |
| Adults |
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| Neither type of pneumococcal vaccine is recommended for healthy adults age 19 through 64 years who do not smoke cigarettes. Adults age 65 years and older should receive both Prevnar and Pneumovax but not at the same time. You should receive a dose of Prevnar first (if possible), followed by a dose of Pneumovax 1 year later. If you've already received any doses of Pneumovax, the dose of Prevnar should be given at least 1 year after receipt of the most recent Pneumovax dose. You should get a dose of Prevnar even if you received a dose of Pneumovax more than a year ago. If you've already received a dose of Prevnar before age 65 years, another dose of Prevnar is not recommended. You might need either Pneumovax or Prevnar or both before age 65 years if you are a smoker or if you have a long-term health condition such as
diabetes, asthma or heart, lung, or kidney disease. Talk to your healthcare provider to find out if you need one or both of these vaccines. |
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| Trusted Websites |
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| Pneumococcal |
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| Find fact sheets, resources, multimedia, and more from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
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| KidsHealth |
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| About the infection, including signs and symptoms, contagiousness, prevention, incubation, duration and treatment |
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| World Pneumonia Day |
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| Pneumonia is one of the most solvable problems in global health and yet a child dies from the infection every 20 seconds. Join the effort! |
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Video Library |
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| One Family's Struggle with Pneumococcal Disease: One mother shares the heart-wrenching account of her family's struggles with pneumococcal disease affecting both of her young children. Abigail, her almost two-year-old daughter, died of overwhelming sepsis due to pneumococcal disease. Vaccination can prevent pneumococcal disease, which causes tens of thousands of hospitalizations and many deaths each year in the United States. |
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| >> view all pneumococcal videos |
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| Personal Testimonies |
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| Stories of suffering and loss from pneumococcal |
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| More Pneumococcal Information |
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| This page was updated
on May 17, 2018. |
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| This page was reviewed
on May 11, 2018. |
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Immunization Action Coalition • 2550 University Avenue West • Suite 415 North • Saint Paul, Minnesota • 55114 |
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tel 651-647-9009 • fax 651-647-9131 |
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The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC), a non-profit organization, works to increase immunization rates and prevent disease by creating and distributing educational materials for health professionals and the public that enhance delivery of safe and effective immunization services. IAC also facilitates communication about the safety, efficacy, and use of vaccines within the broad immunization community of patients, parents, healthcare organizations, and government health agencies. |
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