Pneumonia vaccine for adults
According to the WHO, pneumonia kills up to 2 million people every year. This disease can be very dangerous. But it can be avoided by getting the pneumonia vaccine for adults.

Pneumonia is also called pneumococcal infection, because the causative agent of the disease are microorganisms – pneumococci. In addition to pneumonia, pneumococci can cause meningitis and bacterial infection of the blood.

Vaccines for pneumonia began to be created in the second half of the XNUMXth century. Until now, the composition of vaccinations has to be regularly adjusted – the difficulty lies in the large number of varieties of pneumococci. There are about a hundred of them, and about two dozen can be potentially hazardous to health.

Thirty years ago, a 23-valent vaccine was developed that contains up to 90% of the types of pneumococci that can cause infection. This vaccine is still in use today. A new era in the fight against pneumococcal disease began in 2000, when a conjugate vaccine was developed and began to be widely used in national immunization programs. Pneumococcal vaccines of the new generation provide more stable and long-term protection not only against meningitis, sepsis, pneumonia, but also provides protection against pneumonia, otitis media, infection carriers.

Adults are vaccinated once with a conjugate vaccine, the 13-valent Prevenar 13 vaccine. This vaccine may last a lifetime. If a 23-valent, older vaccine is given, doctors recommend “refreshing” the immune system by re-vaccinating every five years. After a certain time, the effectiveness of the 23-valent vaccination decreases.

What is pneumonia

Inflammation of the lungs with damage to the alveoli, pulmonary vesicles, is called pneumonia. It is often mistakenly believed that you can get pneumonia from hypothermia. But in fact, the disease is caused by bacteria, sometimes viruses. Pneumococci are the most common cause of pneumonia.

When and who should be vaccinated against pneumonia

Children are given a whole series of vaccinations against pneumonia at regular intervals several times. This is necessary for the development of immunity and protection of the weak immune system of the child.

Adults are vaccinated against pneumonia only if they are at risk: old age, diseases of the lungs, heart, kidneys, liver. Diabetes mellitus, smoking, alcoholism and oncology, some congenital pathologies also increase the risk of pneumonia.

Also, vaccinations are given to certain categories of employees working in kindergartens, nursing homes, and the military.

What are the pneumonia vaccines for adults?

In Russia, most adults are given Pneumo-23, the most effective vaccine against pneumonia, because it contains the maximum types of bacteria so that the immune system is ready for all of them.

The remaining vaccinations can also be used for children from a certain age: Prevenar 13 from the age of two months, Synflorix from 6 weeks.

Where can adults get the pneumonia vaccine?

You can get vaccinated in the clinic to which you are attached, or in private medical centers. The pneumonia vaccine can be given at the same time as many other vaccines.

Adults are vaccinated in the shoulder area. The dose and intervals are selected depending on which drug will be administered.

People at risk and employees of certain institutions are vaccinated free of charge. Other adults can get vaccinated for a fee if they wish.

Reviews of doctors about vaccination against pneumonia

Not all pneumonias are caused by the pneumococcus bacterium, but doctors consider getting vaccinated a good way to protect against the disease. Vaccination is very effective, since about 50% of pneumonias are caused by pneumococcus or in association with another pathogen with pneumococcus.

Studies show that modern pneumonia vaccinations reduce the risk of hospitalization of adults aged 65 years and older due to community-acquired pneumonia by up to 70%. Vaccination can not only minimize the number of exacerbations, but also reduce the incidence of pneumonia.

Note
Which pneumonia is more dangerous?
Inflammation of the lungs can be of different types, most often we hear about hospital and community-acquired forms. Let’s learn more about each of them.
Hospital out-of-hospital

Popular questions and answers

A large amount of knowledge about pneumonia and vaccines from it is possessed by pulmonologists – specialists in the lungs. She told us more about the risks of vaccination and its need Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of Therapy of the IDPO “South Ural State Medical University”, Chief Pulmonologist of the Ural Federal District Galina Ignatova.

What are the side effects of the pneumonia vaccine?
Side effects or adverse events are most often local. According to reviews, the pneumonia shot for adults sometimes causes redness, swelling, and a little soreness at the injection site. General reactions to vaccination are rare and do not exceed 2% of those vaccinated. This can be expressed in general malaise, fever.
How do you know if the pneumonia vaccine is safe?
Numerous studies were carried out before the vaccine was registered, so any vaccine by itself would not threaten health – it simply would not be allowed on the market. Before vaccination, there should be an examination by a doctor in order to determine that the patient does not have an acute or exacerbation of a chronic disease. It is their presence that can cause side effects as a reaction to the pneumonia vaccine for adults.
Who needs to be vaccinated?
The risk group is people over 65 years of age and suffering from chronic diseases of the lungs and other organs, have diabetes mellitus, oncology and other diseases that depress the immune system. For the rest, vaccination is optional.

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