I am 66 and am otherwise healthy. Should I get the pneumovax (pneumonia vaccine)?
Deb
MY RESPONSE:
Pneumonia is the 5th leading cause of adults in the US, and 50% of these infections are due to Streptococcus pneumonia, the germ that the PNEUMOVAX enhances your immune response to.
The PNEUMOVAX contains the 23 strains, or serotypes, that most commonly cause infection, and it has been show to prevent you from dying from pneumonia (IT DOES NOT PREVENT PNEUMONIA!!!!..but rather, markedly improves your chances of surviving and infection.)
Vaccination is indicated for patients 65 or over, once in their lifetime. Although some people recommend revaccination in healthy adults, I do not.
If you were vaccinated before 65, then you should wait at least 5 years….and revaccinate once after 65.
Although there are many other considerations for patients with COPD, Smoking, or Immune Suppression….they do not apply to you. You just need one shot currently.