Pneumococcal Vaccine

From WikiMD's Food, Medicine & Wellness Encyclopedia

A vaccine (trade name Pneumovax) effective against the 23 most common strains of pneumococcus.

Prevenar, Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
Prevnar Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine

PPSV24[edit | edit source]

PPSV23 protects against 23 types of bacteria that cause pneumococcal diseases such as pneumococcal pneumonia.

Polysaccharide vaccine[edit | edit source]

  • PPSV23 is a type of Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine.
  • Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23 or Pneumovax23®) includes purified preparations of pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide.
  • PPSV23 contains polysaccharide antigen from 23 types of pneumococcal bacteria.
  • It contains 25 µg of each antigen per dose and contains 0.25% phenol as a preservative.
Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine
Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine

Vaccine recommendations[edit | edit source]

PPSV23 is recommended for:

  • All adults 65 years or older,
  • Anyone 2 years or older with certain medical conditions that can lead to an increased risk for pneumococcal disease.

Child immunizations schedule chart
Child immunizations schedule chart

Dosage schedule[edit | edit source]

  • Most people need only one dose of PPSV23.

Second dose[edit | edit source]

  • A second dose of PPSV23, and another type of pneumococcal vaccine called PCV13, are recommended for certain high-risk groups. 
  • People 65 years or older should get a dose of PPSV23 even if they have already gotten one or more doses of the vaccine before they turned 65.

Other pneumococcal vaccines[edit | edit source]

  • PCV13 protects against 13 types of bacteria that cause pneumococcal disease. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13 or Prevnar13®) includes purified capsular polysaccharide of 13 serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae.
  • Infants and young children usually need 4 doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, at 2, 4, 6, and 12–15 months of age. In some cases, a child might need fewer than 4 doses to complete PCV13 vaccination.
  • A dose of PCV13 is also recommended for anyone 2 years or older with certain medical conditions if they did not already receive PCV13.

This vaccine is sometimes also given to adults 65 years.

Pneumococcal Vaccine Resources
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Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD