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Pneumonia
Prevention
It’s Worth a Shot
Pneumococcal (pronounced
new-mo-KOK-al) disease is an infection caused by bacteria. These
bacteria can attack different parts of the body. When they invade
the lungs, they cause the most common kind of bacterial pneumonia.
When the same bacteria enter the blood, they cause an infection
called bacteremia (bak-ter-E-me-ah). In the brain, they cause
meningitis. Pneumococcal pneumonia is a serious illness that
kills thousands of older people in the United States each year.
Can Pneumonia
Be Prevented?
For some causes of
pneumonia, yes. The pneumococcal vaccine is safe, it works,
and one shot lasts most people up to 10 years. People who get
the vaccine are protected against almost all of the bacteria
that cause pneumococcal pneumonia and other pneumococcal diseases
as well. The shot, which is covered by Medicare, can be a lifesaver.
Some experts say
it may be best to get the shot before age 65--anytime after
age 50--since the younger you are, the better the results. They
also say people should have this shot even if they have had
pneumonia before. There are many different kinds of pneumonia,
and having one kind does not protect against the others. The
vaccine, however, does protect against 88 percent of the pneumococcal
bacteria that cause pneumonia. It does not guarantee that you
will never get pneumonia. It does not protect against viral
pneumonia. Most people need to get the shot only once. However
some older people may need a booster; check with your doctor
to find out if this is necessary.
Who Should Get
the Vaccine?
According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, everyone age 65
and older should get it the pneumonia vaccine. Some younger
people should get it also.
Ask a doctor for
the vaccine if you:
- Are age 65 or
older.
- Have a chronic
illness, such as heart or lung disease or diabetes.
- Have a weak immune
system. (This can be caused by certain kidney diseases, some
cancers, HIV infections organ transplant medicines, and other
disease.)
Are There Side
Effects?
Some people have
mild side effects from the shot, but these usually are minor
and last only a very short time. In studies, about half of the
people getting the vaccine had mild side effects--swelling and
soreness at the spot where the shot was given, usually on the
arm.
A few people (less
than 1 percent) had fever and muscle pain as well as more serious
swelling and pain on the arm. The pneumonia shot cannot cause
pneumonia because it is not made from the bacteria itself, but
from a bacterial component that is not infectious. The same
is true of the flu shot; it cannot cause flu. In fact, people
can get the pneumonia vaccine and a flu shot at the same time.
About the Disease
and the Vaccine
- There are two
main kinds of pneumonia--viral pneumonia and bacterial pneumonia.
Bacterial pneumonia is more serious. One kind of bacteria
causes pneumococcal pneumonia. In older people, this type
of pneumonia is a common cause of hospitalization and death.
- About 20 to 30
percent of people over age 65 who have pneumococcal pneumonia
develop bacteremia. At least 20 percent of those with bacteremia
die from it, even though they get antibiotics.
- People age 65
and older are at high risk. They are two to three time more
likely than people in general to get pneumococcal infections.
- A recent, large
study by the National Institutes of Health suggests that the
vaccine prevents most cases of pneumococcal pneumonia.
- The U.S. Public
Health Service, the National Coalition for Adult Immunization,
and the American Lung Association now recommend that all people
age 65 and older get this vaccine.
Key Facts
- Everyone age 65
and older should get the pneumonia vaccine.
- Anyone with chronic
disease or a weak immune system should also get the vaccine.
- Most people need
to get it only once.
- Most people have
mild or no side effects.
- It is covered
by Medicare.
Resources
More information
about adult immunizations is available from the following groups.
National Institute
on Aging
P.O. Box 8057
Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8057
1-800-222-2225
1-800-222-4225 (TTY)
National Institute
of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
31 Center Drive MSC 2520
Building 31, Room 7A50
Bethesda, MD 20892-2520
(301) 496-5717
Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
National Immunization Program
1600 Clifton Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30333
1-800-232-2522
American Lung Association
1740 Broadway
New York, NY 10019-4374
1-800-LUNG-USA
(1-800-586-4872)
National Coalition
for Adult Immunization
Suite 750
4733 Bethesda Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20814
National
Institute on Aging
U. S. Department of Health and Human Services
Public Health Service
National Institutes of Health
1996
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