What Does The Prevnar Vaccine Protect Against

Whats The Difference Between Pcv13 And Ppsv23

• Both vaccines help prevent pneumococcal complications like bacteremia and meningitis.
• Youll need more than one pneumonia shot during your lifetime. A 2016 study found that, if youre over 64, receiving both the PCV13 shot and the PPSV23 shot provide the best protection against all the strains of bacteria that cause pneumonia.
• Dont get the shots too close together. Youll need to wait about a year in between each shot.
• Check with your doctor to make sure youre not allergic to any of the ingredients used to make these vaccines before getting either shot.

• a vaccine made with diphtheria toxoid
• another version of the shot called PCV7
• any previous injections of a pneumonia shot

• are allergic to any ingredients in the shot
• have had severe allergies to a PPSV23 shot in the past
• are very sick

Frequently Asked Questions About Prevnar 13

Who should get Prevnar 13?

Four doses of Prevnar 13 is recommended for infants and young children. Older children can be vaccinated if they didn’t receive the recommended four-dose series. Prevnar 13 is also recommended for people 6 years or older with certain medical conditions. Finally, healthy adults age 65 years or older who haven’t received Prevnar 13 can discuss with their provider whether or not this vaccine is needed. Ask your provider or pharmacist if you aren’t sure if you need to receive Prevnar 13.

Why is it important to get Prevnar 13 if I need it?

Prevnar 13 targets pneumococcus, which is a bacteria that can cause serious and life-threatening infections, such as pneumonia or meningitis. Just like all vaccines, receiving Prevnar 13 doesn’t guarantee you won’t get an infection from pneumococcus. But it will lower your risk of severe symptoms if you were to get infected with pneumococcus because your body would’ve already made antibodies against the bacteria.

Where can I go to receive Prevnar 13?

Prevnar 13 is given as an injection into the muscle by a healthcare provider. It’s not a vaccination you can pickup at the pharmacy and give to yourself at home. You can usually receive Prevnar 13 at your provider’s office or your local pharmacy, but it might also be available at certain community sites .

What’s the difference between Prevnar 13, Pneumovax 23, Prevnar 20, and Vaxneuvance?

Does Prevnar 13 contain latex?

Most Common Side Effects

Having concerns about side effects is only natural. Here are the common ones that some children have experienced with PREVNAR 13®.

• In children 6 weeks through 17 years, the most common side effects were tenderness, redness, or swelling at the injection site, irritability, decreased appetite, decreased or increased sleep, and fever.
• The most commonly reported serious adverse events in infants and toddlers were bronchiolitis , gastroenteritis , and pneumonia .

Talk to your healthcare provider about the potential risks and benefits of receiving the PREVNAR 13® vaccine.

Please see additional side effects and Important Safety Information.

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Who Should Have The Pneumococcal Vaccine

Anyone can get a pneumococcal infection. But some people are at higher risk of serious illness, so it’s recommended they’re given the pneumococcal vaccination on the NHS.

These include:

• babies
• adults aged 65 or over
• children and adults with certain long-term health conditions, such as a serious heart or kidney condition

Babies are offered 2 doses of pneumococcal vaccine, at 12 weeks and at 1 year of age.

People aged 65 and over only need a single pneumococcal vaccination. This vaccine is not given annually like the flu jab.

If you have a long-term health condition you may only need a single, one-off pneumococcal vaccination, or a vaccination every 5 years, depending on your underlying health problem.

Can The Pneumonia Vaccine Protect Against Covid

by Robert Root-Bernstein | Oct 1, 2020

Where pneumococcal vaccination rates are high, COVID-19 cases are low and vice-versa.

The COVID-19 pandemic poses a number of challenging puzzles. At the time of this article, data indicates that infants and children contract COVID-19 at lower rates than adults, and almost never die of its complications. Nations that have similar populations have vastly different rates of COVID-19 infections and deaths. Even within cities, some neighborhoods have very high rates of COVID-19, others very low. Why? Might the answer to these questions have a common solution and might that solution provide insights into how to control COVID-19 until vaccines are available to control the coronavirus that causes it?

In a recent paper in BioEssays , I hypothesized that there may, indeed, be a common answer, and that is vaccination. Infants start receiving vaccines at two months of age and children receive as many as two dozen vaccinations by the time they finish their teen years. Adults, on the other hand, get vaccinated much less frequently and sometimes not at all. Vaccines dont take as well in people with the highest risks for COVID-19, such as diabetes, heart disease, immune suppression and old age. Moreover, rates of vaccination can vary dramatically by nationality, race and socio-economic status.

References:

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Prevnar 13 Side Effects

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction to Prevnar 13: hives difficult breathing swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

You should not receive a booster vaccine if you had a life threatening allergic reaction after the first shot.

Keep track of all side effects you have. If you need a booster dose, you will need to tell the vaccination provider if the previous shot caused any side effects.

Becoming infected with pneumococcal disease is much more dangerous to your health than receiving Prevnar 13. However, like any medicine, Prevnar 13 can cause side effects but the risk of serious side effects is low.

• severe stomach pain, severe vomiting or diarrhea

• wheezing, trouble breathing

• high fever

• seizure or

• sleeping more or less than usual

• swelling, tenderness, or redness where a shot was given

• trouble moving the arm where a shot was given

• crying or fussiness

• vomiting, loss of appetite or

• rash.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report vaccine side effects to the US Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-822-7967.

Do The Pneumonia Vaccines Work

The pneumococcal vaccines are very effective at preventing pneumonia and other pneumococcal diseases in both adults and children. In one large study of over 84,000 adults aged 65 and older, those who received PCV13 were less likely to get pneumococcal pneumonia than were those who received a placebo shot. The vaccine protected about 45% of vaccinated people from getting pneumonia and about 75% from getting an invasive pneumococcal disease. Invasive pneumococcal disease is the most serious type and can be life-threatening.

PPSV23 is also effective and protects at least 50% of vaccinated, healthy adults from invasive pneumococcal infections.

In children, PCV13 has decreased the amount of invasive pneumococcal disease. According to the CDC, PCV13 prevented about 30,000 cases of invasive disease in the first 3 years it was available.

Getting the vaccine not only protects you from getting pneumonia and other types of pneumococcal disease, but also protects vulnerable people around you who cant get vaccinated.

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Who Should Get Pneumococcal Vaccines

CDC recommends pneumococcal vaccination for all children younger than 2 years old and all adults 65 years or older. In certain situations, older children and other adults should also get pneumococcal vaccines. Below is more information about who should and should not get each type of pneumococcal vaccine.

Talk to your or your childs doctor about what is best for your specific situation.

Who Should Not Get These Vaccines

Because of age or health conditions, some people should not get certain vaccines or should wait before getting them. Read the guidelines below specific to pneumococcal vaccines and ask your or your childs doctor for more information.

Children younger than 2 years old should not get PPSV23. In addition, tell the person who is giving you or your child a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine if:

You or your child have had a life-threatening allergic reaction or have a severe allergy.

• Anyone who has had a life-threatening allergic reaction to any of the following should not get PCV13:
• A shot of this vaccine
• An earlier pneumococcal conjugate vaccine called PCV7
• Any vaccine containing diphtheria toxoid

You or your child are not feeling well.

• People who have a mild illness, such as a cold, can probably get vaccinated. People who have a more serious illness should probably wait until they recover. Your or your childs doctor can advise you.

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What To Do If You Were Exposed To Covid

• Determine if you should stay home.
• Monitor your health for COVID-19 symptoms and get tested at least 5 days after you had close contact with someone with COVID-19, even if you dont develop symptoms.
• Wear a well-fitting mask for 10 full days any time you are around others inside your home or in public. Do not go to places where you are unable to wear a mask.

Who Is Recommended To Get Prevnar 20

Although adults ages 18 and older are eligible to receive Prevnar 20, its not yet certain how Prevnar 20 will be used alongside Prevnar 13 and Pneumovax 23.

The CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices develops recommendations on how to use vaccines. Although Prevnar 20 was approved last week, the CDC and ACIP have yet to incorporate Prevnar 20 into its overall recommendations.

According to Pfizer, ACIP is expected to meet in to discuss updated recommendations on the use of pneumococcal vaccines in adults.

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The Different Types Of Pneumococcal Vaccine

The type of pneumococcal vaccine you’re given depends on your age and health. There are 2 types.

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is used to vaccinate children under 2 years old as part of the NHS vaccination schedule. It’s known by the brand name Prevenar 13.

Children at risk of pneumococcal infections can have the PPV vaccine from the age of 2 years onwards. The PPV vaccine is not very effective in children under the age of 2.

Which Pneumonia Vaccine Is Best

There is no best pneumonia vaccine. The two available pneumonia vaccines are different, and which one is best for you depends on how old you are and whether or not you have certain medical conditions.

The main difference between Prevnar 13 and Pneumovax 23 is the number of pneumococcus strains the vaccine protects against.

• PCV13 contains polysaccharides from 13 types of pneumococcal bacteria and is mainly given to young children.

• PPSV23 contains polysaccharides from 23 types of pneumococcal bacteria and is mainly given to older adults.

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What Are The Possible Side Effects Of Pcv And Ppsv Vaccines

Kids may have redness, tenderness, or swelling where the shot was given. A child also might have a fever after getting the shot. There is a very small chance of an allergic reaction with any vaccine.

The pneumococcal vaccines contain only a small piece of the germ and so cannot cause pneumococcal disease.

Build Your Personal Covid

Make a COVID-19 plan now so youre prepared. Consider the ways you will protect yourself and how to be prepared if you get sick with COVID-19. Include how you will adjust your plan if the COVID-19 situation changes in your community.

Your plan should include:

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Pneumococcal Vaccination Rates Correlate With Lower Covid

I gathered national and some local data on vaccination rates against influenza, polio, measles-mumps-rubella , diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis , tuberculosis , pneumococci and Haemophilus influenzae type B . I correlated them with COVID-19 case rates and death rates for 24 nations that had experienced their COVID-19 outbreaks at about the same time. I controlled for factors such as percentage of the population who were obese, diabetic or elderly.

I found that only pneumococcal vaccines afforded statistically significant protection against COVID-19. Nations such as Spain, Italy, Belgium, Brazil, Peru and Chile that have the highest COVID-19 rates per million have the poorest pneumococcal vaccination rates among both infants and adults. Nations with the lowest rates of COVID-19 Japan, Korea, Denmark, Australia and New Zealand have the highest rates of pneumococcal vaccination among both infants and adults.

A recent preprint study from researchers at the Mayo Clinic has also reported very strong associations between pneumococcal vaccination and protection against COVID-19. This is especially true among minority patients who are bearing the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic. The report also suggests that other vaccines, or combinations of vaccines, such as Hib and MMR may also provide protection.

Based on these data, I advocate universal pneumococcal and Hib vaccination among children, at-risk adults and all adults over 65 to prevent serious COVID-19 disease.

What About The Pneumonia Vaccine

Prevnar 13 is a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine that protects against 13 types of pneumococcal bacteria.

Pneumovax 23 is a pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine that protects against 23 types of pneumococcal bacteria.

Once vaccinated, most healthy adults develop protection to most or all of these types within two to three weeks.

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Who Should Get The Vaccine

People over age 65. As you age, your immune system doesnât work as well as it once did. Youâre more likely to have trouble fighting off a pneumonia infection. All adults over age 65 should get the vaccine.

Those with weakened immune systems. Many diseases can cause your immune system to weaken, so itâs less able to fight off bugs like pneumonia.

If you have heart disease, diabetes, emphysema, asthma, or COPD , youâre more likely to have a weakened immune system, which makes you more likely to get pneumonia.

The same goes for people who receive chemotherapy, people who have had organ transplants, and people with HIV or AIDS.

People who smoke. If youâve smoked for a long time, you could have damage to the small hairs that line the insides of your lungs and help filter out germs. When theyâre damaged, they arenât as good at stopping those bad germs.

Heavy drinkers. If you drink too much alcohol, you may have a weakened immune system. Your white blood cells donât work as well as they do for people with a healthy immune system.

People getting over surgery or a severe illness. If you were in the hospital ICU and needed help breathing with a ventilator, youâre at risk of getting pneumonia. The same is true if youâve just had major surgery or if youâre healing from a serious injury. When your immune system is weak because of illness or injury or because itâs helping you get better from surgery, you canât fight off germs as well as you normally can.

What Are The Pneumonia Vaccines

There are two FDA-approved vaccines that protect against pneumonia:

• 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, or PCV13

• 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine, or PPSV23

These immunizations are called pneumonia vaccines because they prevent pneumonia, which is an infection in the lungs. They are also known as pneumococcal vaccines because they protect against a bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae, or pneumococcus. Although there are many viruses, bacteria, and fungi that cause pneumonia, pneumococcus is the most common cause. Pneumococcus can also cause infections in other parts of the body.

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Will Medicare Pay For Both Pneumonia Shots

Yes, Medicare pays for the two types of pneumococcal vaccines approved for use in the United States.

The vaccines offer protection from severe pneumococcal infections caused by common strains of the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae. But you should know pneumonia may be caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi.

Pneumococcal vaccines dont protect against every strain of bacteria that cause pneumococcal infections. There are over 90 types of pneumococcal strains.

• The Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine protects you from 13 different types of pneumococcal bacteria. It is an injection given into a muscle by a healthcare professional.
• The Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine offers protection against 23 different varieties of pneumococcal bacteria. The 11 extra strains covered by PPSV23 vaccine are responsible for around 32% to 37% of invasive pneumococcal disease in older adults. It is an injection given either under the skin or into a muscle by a healthcare professional.

Some people may benefit from both vaccines. If you and your doctor decide two pneumococcal vaccines are necessary, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends you should get the PCV 13 vaccine first whenever possible. But if you already received a PPSV 23 shot, your PCV 13 shot should be given at least one year later.

Let your healthcare provider know if youre allergic to any part of the pneumococcal vaccines or ever had an allergic reaction to a vaccine.

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