Pneumococcal disease is a bacterial infectious disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae), sometimes known as pneumococcus, which is a vaccine-preventable disease. Pneumococcal infections can range from ear and sinus infections to serious infections such as lung infection (pneumonia), bloodstream infection (bacteremia), and brain infection (meningitis), which can lead to coma and death.

The symptoms and severity depend on which part of the body is infected.

• Middle ear infection: sore ear(s), hearing loss and fever
• Sinus infection: sore face, blocked nose, headaches and a yellow-green mucus
• Lung infection: fever, cough, chest pain and problems breathing
• Bloodstream infection: fever, muscle aches and pains, and headaches
• Brain and spinal cord infection: high fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck and coma

• Adults 65 years or older
• Adults of all ages are also at increased risk if they have:
  • Alcoholism
  • Chronic heart, lung, kidney, or liver disease
  • Cochlear implant
  • Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak
  • Diabetes
  • HIV infection, cancer, solid organ transplant, or another condition or taking medicine that weakens the immune system
  • Nephrotic syndrome
  • Sickle cell disease, a damaged spleen, or no spleen
  • Cigarette smoking

Pneumococcal disease can be prevented by maintaining a healthy lifestyle or avoiding contact with the patient. Moreover, vaccination is the recommended way to reduce the risk of infection.

There are 2 types of pneumococcal vaccines available in Thailand which cover different types of bacteria:

1. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10, PCV13, PCV15 and PCV20) These vaccines helps protect against 10, 13, 15 or 20 types of pneumococcal bacteria that can cause serious infections in children and half of adults.

PCV20 is a new pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in Thailand. It protects against pneumococcus types 1, 3, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 7F, 9V, 14, 18C, 19A, 19F, 22F, 23F, 33F (which are included in PCV15) plus 8, 10A, 11A, 12F and 15B.

 

2. Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) This vaccine helps protect against serious infections caused by 23 types of pneumococcal bacteria.

Never administer two types of pneumococcal vaccines in the same visit. If a decision to administer PCV13 or PCV15 is made, it should be administered before PPSV23.

 

How many doses of pneumococcal vaccine do you need?

For children
All children younger than 5 years old should be given 4 doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13/15/20) at ages 2, 4, 6, and 12 through 15 months.

For adults 
Recommended pneumococcal vaccines for adults can divided in 2 groups of adult:

• Groups 1: 19-49 years old (as in Table 1)
• Groups 2: 50 years old and older (as in Table 2)

 

What are the possible side effects of this vaccine?

Mostly, side effects are mild such as redness, swelling, and pain or tenderness at the injection site. This might also be accompanied by feeling tired, loss of appetite, fever, headache and muscle aches. If these problems occur, they usually go away within about 2-3 days.
 

Who might not be able to get this vaccine?

Anyone with a severe, life-threatening allergy to any part of the pneumococcal vaccine should not get the vaccine. People who have a more serious illness should probably wait until they recover before receiving the vaccine.