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Medical Author:

George Schiffman, MD, FCCP

George Schiffman, MD, FCCP

Dr. Schiffman received his B.S. degree with High Honors in biology from Hobart College in 1976. He then moved to Chicago where he studied biochemistry at the University of Illinois, Chicago Circle. He attended Rush Medical College where he received his M.D. degree in 1982 and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed his Internal Medicine internship and residency at the University of California, Irvine.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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In this Article

• What is pneumococcal vaccination?
• Who should consider pneumococcal vaccination?
• Who should not receive pneumococcal vaccine? What about pregnancy?
• How is pneumococcal vaccine administered?
• What are side effects of pneumococcal vaccine?
• What if it is not clear what a person's vaccination history is?
• How long must a person wait to receive other vaccinations?
• Vaccination of children recommended
• Patient Comments: Pneumococcal Vaccination - How often
• Pneumococcal Vaccination Index

What if it is not clear what a person's vaccination history is?

When indicated, vaccine should be administered to patients with unknown vaccination status. All residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities should have their vaccination status assessed and documented.

How long must a person wait to receive other vaccinations?

Inactivated influenza vaccine and tetanus vaccines may be given at the same time as or at any time before or after a dose of pneumococcus vaccine. There are no requirements to wait between the doses of these or any other inactivated vaccines.

Vaccination of children recommended

In July 2000, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the CDC jointly recommended childhood pneumococcal immunization, since pneumococcal infections are the most common invasive bacterial infections in children in the United States, causing about 1,400 cases of meningitis, 17,000 cases of blood-stream infections, and 71,000 cases of pneumonia every year in children under age 5. This recommendation was updated in March 2010.

The new AAP/CDC guidelines stipulated the use of the newest form of the pneumococcal vaccine, the 13 valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13 [Prevnar 13]) and recommended it "for use in all children 23 months of age and younger. The policy recommends that PCV13 be given concurrently with other recommended childhood vaccines at 2, 4, 6, and 12 to 15 months. The number of PCV13 doses required depends upon the age at which vaccination is initiated. The vaccine was also recommended for all children 24 to 59 months of age who are at especially high risk of invasive pneumococcal infection. This includes children with sickle cell disease, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and other children who are immunocompromised."

REFERENCE:

United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Licensure of a 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV13) and Recommendations for Use Among Children --- Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), 2010." MMWR 59.09 Mar. 12, 2010: 258-261.