Pneumococcal Pneumonia Shot
What is the pneumococcal pneumonia shot?
The pneumococcal pneumonia shot protects against a kind of
bacteria that commonly causes pneumonia. Pneumonia is a
term for several diseases that cause inflammation or
infection of the lungs. A bacterium named Streptococcus
pneumoniae causes the type of pneumonia called pneumococcal
pneumonia (also called streptococcal pneumonia). The
bacteria can also cause bacteremia (blood infection),
meningitis (infection of the covering of the brain and
spinal cord), and other infections.
Why should some people have this shot?
Pneumococcal pneumonia is the most common kind of pneumonia.
It can occur after an upper respiratory tract infection,
such as a cold or the flu, especially if you have a chronic
disease or are over age 65. It affects nearly 500,000
Americans each year. Over 40,000 people die from it every
year. The risk of getting pneumonia increases after age 40
and doubles after age 60. This shot cannot protect you from
all types of pneumonia, but it can prevent the most common
form.
Who should have the shot?
Your health care provider may recommend the shot if:
- You are 65 years old or older.
- You are scheduled to have chemotherapy (have the shot at
least 2 weeks before chemotherapy starts).
- You have diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung disease,
kidney disease, or liver disease.
- You have leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, multiple myeloma,
or lymphoma.
- You are an alcoholic.
- You have HIV/AIDS, an organ transplant, or another
condition that has weakened your immune system.
- You have sickle cell disease.
- Your spleen has been removed.
You should have no more than 2 shots of the pneumonia
vaccine in your lifetime. The shots should be given at
least 5 years apart.
Do not get the shot if you:
- have an infection now (wait until the infection symptoms
go away)
- are allergic to thimerosal (a preservative made from
mercury)
- had an allergic reaction to the vaccine in the past.
Talk to your health care provider before getting the shot if
you think you are allergic to eggs.
Does the shot cause side effects?
After getting this shot you may have redness and pain in
the area where you had the shot (a mild local reaction).
Rarely (less than 1% of cases), fever, muscle aches, or
severe local reactions occur. You cannot get pneumococcal
infection from the shot.
What else should I know about this shot?
- The cost of the shot is covered by Medicare and most
state Medicaid insurance. It may be covered by private
health insurance, depending on the reasons you are
getting it. Check with your insurance company.
- You can get the shot at your health care provider's
office or at most local health departments.
- You can have a flu shot and a pneumococcal pneumonia shot
at the same time without increasing side effects.
- Check with your health care provider about other shots
you may need.
- For more information, contact:
National Coalition for Adult Immunization
4733 Bethesda Avenue, Suite 750
Bethesda, MD 20814
301-656-0003
Web site: http://www.nfid.org/ncai
American Lung Association
1740 Broadway
New York, NY 10019-4374
800-586-4872
Web site: http://www.lungusa.org
You can also get information from your local health
department.
Written by Carolyn Norrgard, RNC, BA, MEd, and Carol Matheis-Kraft, PhD, RNC, for McKesson Provider Technologies.
This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to
change as new health information becomes available. The
information is intended to inform and educate and is not a
replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or
treatment by a healthcare professional.
Copyright © 2005 McKesson Corporation and/or one of its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved.