Pneumococcal vaccine - Vaccines - AntiinfectiveMeds.com

Pneumococcal vaccine is a mixture of capsular polysaccharides from 23 of the 83 most prevalent types of Streptococcus pneumoniae seen in the United States.
Pneumococcal vaccine is recommended for the following immunocompetent persons:
- Persons 65 or more years of age. If an individual received vaccine more than 5 years earlier and was under age 65 at the time of administration, revaccination should be given.
- Persons aged 2 to 64 years with chronic illness.
- Persons aged 2 to 64 years with functional or anatomic asplenia. When splenectomy is planned, pneumococcal vaccine should be given at least 2 weeks prior to surgery.
- Persons aged 2 to 64 years living in environments where the risk of invasive pneumococcal disease or its complications is increased. This does not include daycare center employees and children.
Pneumococcal vaccination is recommended for immunocompromised persons 2 years of age or older withHIV infection
- leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, or multiple myeloma
- generalized malignancy
- chronic renal failure of nephritic syndrome and patients receiving
- immunosuppressive therapy
- organ or bone marrow transplant
A single revaccination should be given if 5 or more years have passed since the first dose in persons older than 10 years. In those who are 10 years or younger, revaccination should be given 3 years after the previous dose.
Because children less than 2 years of age do not respond adequately to the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine, a heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was created that can be administered at 2, 4, and 6 months of age and between 12 and 15 months of age.