Vaccines and Preventable Diseases:
Pneumococcal Vaccination
Pronounced (NEU-mo-KOK-al)
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is recommended for all children less than 59 months old. In addition, children aged more than 24 months who are at high risk of pneumococcal disease and adults with risk factors may receive the pneumococcal polysaccaride vaccine.
What You Should Know:
For Health Professionals:
For the Media:
What You Should Know
- Pneumonia Can Be Prevented – Vaccines Can Help
CDC Feature
- Brief description of pneumococcal disease and vaccine recommendations
Symptoms, treatment, transmission, vaccine recommendations for children and adults, etc.
Updated Apr 2011 -
Pneumococcal Disease: So Many Treatments Posted May 2011
Parent tells true story of how pneumococcal disease sickened her children and affected her family - Questions and answers about pneumococcal disease Updated Apr 2011
- Images of pneumococcus and people affected with pneumococcal disease
Warning: Some of these photos are quite graphic. - Fact sheets about pneumococcal disease
- Facts about pneumococcal disease
- Pneumococcal disease: Hard to say; easy to get vaccinated
[PDF-342KB - 2 pages] Posted Aug 2011
Facts about pneumococcal disease in adults from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
- Facts about pneumococcal disease
- Podcast: Prevent Pneumonia
NEW 5/31/2012
Released 5/23/2012; Run time 4:50
Dr. Kathleen Dooling with the CDC explains what pneumonia is, its symptoms, and how to prevent it. - Interactive Q & A Posted Aug 2011
Answers from a panel of experts for commonly asked questions about pneumococcal diseases in adults (National Foundation for Infectious Diseases) - Pneumococcal basics
Fact sheet offers overview of Pneumococcal disease and vaccine risks and benefits
The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, PCV13 or Prevnar 13® is currently recommended for all children under 5 years of age.
Pneumovax® is 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine (PPVSV) that is currently recommended for use in all adults who are older than 65 years of age and for persons who are 2 years and older and at high risk for disease (e.g., sickle cell disease, HIV infection, or other immunocompromising conditions). It is also recommended for use in adults 19 through 64 years of age who smoke cigarettes or who have asthma.
- Who needs the PCV or PPSV vaccine?
- Side
Effects of PCV and PPSV
Excerpt from Vaccine Information Statement - Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) (PCV and PPSV)
- Questions and answers for parents about PCV vaccine Updated Apr 2011
- Podcast: New and Improved Vaccine
Released 4/1/2010; Run time 4:32; Series: A Cup of Health with CDC
CDC expert Dr. Pekka Nuorti discusses the new vaccine to prevent invasive pneumococcal disease. - Safety and Immunogenicity of a 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine
PEDIATRICS Vol. 125 No. 5 May 2010, pp. 866-875 Posted May 2010 - Are
You Protected?
- Lessening the Pain of Vaccines
Techniques worth trying - Pneumococcal
conjugate (PCV) vaccine mandates for children in
day care
Listed by state - Global pneumococcal disease and vaccines
PCV recommendations, advance market commitment, vaccine support resources, literature, etc.
As with all vaccines, there can be minor reactions, including pain and redness at the injection site, headache, fatigue or a vague feeling of discomfort.
- Frequently Asked Questions about Vaccine Safety
- Monitoring Vaccine Safety
- Are
vaccines safe?
FAQs on The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia website
- What if we stopped vaccinating for this disease?
- Who should not be vaccinated with Pneumococcal vaccine?
- Pregnancy guidelines
For Health Professionals
Clinical Information on Pneumococcal
- PCV13 (Pneumococcal Conjugate) Vaccine Posted Mar 2010
Questions and answers for healthcare providers about PCV13 - Pink Book's chapter on Pneumococcal Disease (Updated April 2011)
Epidemiology & Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, 12th Edition - Ask the Experts about PCV (children)
CDC experts answer your clinical questions (Immunization Action Coalition) - Ask the Experts about PPSV (adults)
CDC experts answer your clinical questions (Immunization Action Coalition) - Proper storage and handling of vaccines UPDATED DEc 2011
CDC Vaccine Storage and Handling guide includes shelf life, reconstitution instructions... - Use of Vaccines to Prevent Meningitis in Persons with Cochlear Implants Updated
Apr 2010 - Facts about pneumococcal disease and prevention in adults
[PDF-346KB - 2 pages] Posted Aug 2011
National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
Vaccine Recommendations
- ACIP vaccine-specific recommendations
- PCV recommendations for developing countries
- Standing Orders
- Contraindications
- Package inserts
(Prevnar, Prevnar13, Pneumovax 23, and more package inserts...) Updated Mar 2010
- ACIP - Vaccines for Children (VFC) Resolution Updated Jul 2010
References and Resources
- Pneumococcal vaccine-related articles
- Pink Book's chapter on Pneumococcal Disease [PDF-621KB, 16 pages] Updated
April 2011
Epidemiology & Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, 12th Edition - Surveillance:
Surveillance manual's chapter on Pneumococcal Disease
Manual for the Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases textbook - Laboratory:
- CDC Streptococcal Laboratory
Scheme for identifying pneumococcal serotypes using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). - CDC's Pneumococcal Clone Identification
Laboratories that conduct pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) can use this info to identify...
- CDC Streptococcal Laboratory
- Global pneumococcal disease and vaccines
PCV recommendations, advance market commitment, vaccine support resources, literature, etc. - Travelers
Health: Yellow Book
Chapter on pneumococcal disease - Influenza and pneumococcal (PPSV) mandates for long term care facilities
- Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) Guidelines:
- IDSA and ATS Consensus Guidelines on the Management of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Adults [PDF-374KB, 46 pages]
Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and American Thoracic Society (ATS)
Clinical Infectious Diseases 2007;44:S27–S72 - PIDS and IDSA Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Infants and Children Older Than 3 Months of Age [PDF-856KB, 52 pages] Posted Aug 2011
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS) and Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Clinical Infectious Diseases; Epub ahead of print. August 2011.
- IDSA and ATS Consensus Guidelines on the Management of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Adults
- Healthcare-Associated Pneumonia (HCAP) Guidelines:
- CDC and HICPAC Guidelines for Preventing Health-Care-Associated Pneumonia, 2003 [PDF-811KB, 179 pages]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC). MMWR. 2004;53:1–36 - ATS and IDSA Guidelines on Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia [PDF-360KB, 29 pages]
American Thoracic Society (ATS) and Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2005;171:388-416
- CDC and HICPAC Guidelines for Preventing Health-Care-Associated Pneumonia, 2003
Provider Education
- VIDEO –Pneumococcal Disease in Children: New Immunization Recommendations Posted May 2010
CDC Expert Commentary in Partnership with Medscape (available to registered users of Medscape's Professional sites; registration is free [http://www.medscape.com]) - Prevention of Pneumococcal Infections Secondary to Seasonal and 2009 H1N1 Influenza Posted Oct 2009
- CDC Letter to Providers Promoting PPSV for Adults Posted Nov 2009
- Pneumococcal
Polysaccharide
Vaccination Pocket Guide
Intended to be a provider's partner to help with pneumococcal vaccination
Materials for Patients
- Questions about the pneumococcal shot (brochure)
- Ask your doctor about pneumococcal shot (card)
- Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) (PCV and PPSV)
- Professional Practice Toolkit: Pneumococcal Disease Posted Aug 2011
Resources in English and Spanish to help health care professionals educate their adult patients about pneumococcal disease (National Foundation for Infectious Diseases) - Important facts for patients to know about PPSV [PDF-67KB, 1 page]
- Podcasts on immunization topics
- Stories of people who suffered or died from vaccine-preventable diseases
- Pneumococcus: Questions and Answers [PDF-114KB, 4 pages]
Ready-to-print version of one of the CDC-reviewed Q&A materials located on IAC's Vaccine Information website (http://www.vaccineinformation.org) Updated Apr 2009
For the Media
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This page last modified on
July 2, 2012
Content last reviewed on April 1, 2011
Content Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Content last reviewed on April 1, 2011
Content Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
