Pneumonia - Vaccines that help protect you against pneumonia

Pneumonia

Vaccines that help protect you against pneumonia

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Two types of vaccines can help protect you against pneumonia. They are:

The pneumococcal vaccine
The flu vaccine.

Both these vaccines are very safe. They cannot give you the flu or pneumonia. To read about each vaccine, click on the links above.

How vaccines work

Your

immune system
The immune system is made up of the parts of the body that are devoted to fighting infection. The body is constantly being threatened by infections from things like bacteria, viruses and parasites. The immune system fights these infections in different ways. At the microscopic level, the immune system uses antibodies and white blood cells, which travel in the blood and target infectious agents, such as bacteria. These microscopic parts of the immune system either kill the infectious agent directly, or take it to other parts of the body, like the spleen, where it can be dealt with. The lymph nodes are another important part of the immune system. Within them, white blood cells filter through the foreign material that has entered the blood, to see if there are any infections. When you have a swollen gland during a cold, this is actually a lymph node that is reacting to the infection. Unfortunately, it is possible for the immune system to become confused and to use its destructive powers to target healthy parts of the body. Diseases that result from this type of situation are called autoimmune diseases.

immune system is the part of your body that fights off infections. It goes on the attack when it finds something in your body that it doesn't recognize, such as

bacteria
Bacteria are tiny organisms. There are lots of different types. Some are harmful and can cause disease. But some bacteria live in your body without causing any harm.

bacteria or a

viruses
Viruses are microbes (tiny organisms) that need the cells of humans or other animals to exist. They use the machinery of cells to reproduce. Then they spread to other cells in the body.

virus. Special

white blood cells
White blood cells are the cells in your blood that help your body fight infections. The other cells in your blood, red blood cells, carry oxygen around your body.

white cells in your blood then make proteins (called

antibodies
Antibodies are an important part of your immune system. They are proteins made by white blood cells (another part of your immune system). They help destroy bacteria and other agents that cause infections.

antibodies) that destroy the invading germs.

Vaccinations work by introducing weak, harmless versions of bacteria or viruses into your body. A vaccination is usually given as a shot into your muscle. Your immune system responds to the vaccine by making antibodies against it. Not only do the antibodies destroy the weakened version of the germ so you don't get sick, but they also make it easier for your body to recognize the germ the next time it invades your body. This means that your body will react more quickly and produce infection-fighting antibodies right away before an infection can develop.

People respond to vaccines in different ways. Some people don't get much protection from them. This can happen if you are elderly or if your body's defenses have already been weakened by a disease or by a medicine that you are taking.

Who should be vaccinated?

You should have the pneumococcal vaccine if:

Source:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Prevention of pneumococcal disease: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 1997; 46.

You're 65 or older
Your health is poor because you have a long-term illness, such as

diabetes
Diabetes is a condition that causes too much sugar to circulate in your blood. It happens when your body stops making a hormone called insulin (type 1 diabetes) or when insulin stops working (type 2 diabetes).

diabetes,

heart disease
You get heart disease when your heart isn't able to pump blood as well as it should. This can happen for a variety of reasons.

heart disease or

sickle cell disease
Sickle cell disease is a blood disorder that runs in families. Under certain conditions, the red blood cells of people with this disease change shape to look like a sickle. This causes a lot of pain and a range of other symptoms, including infections in the lungs.

sickle cell disease
You already have another disease in your lungs, such as

emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term disease of the lungs. The walls of the air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs become thin and less elastic. This makes it harder for oxygen to get in your blood and carbon dioxide to get out of your body. It makes you cough and feel short of breath. Smoking is the most common cause of emphysema.

emphysema or

asthma
Asthma is a long-term disease of the lungs. It makes you wheeze, cough and feel short of breath. Asthma attacks are caused by iflammation and narrowing of the airways, which makes it hard for air to pass in and out of the lungs.

asthma
Your body's defenses against infection are weak because you have a disease such as

AIDS
AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. People who are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) get AIDS when the virus has destroyed most of their immune system. When people have AIDS, their body isn't able to fight infections. So even common infections, such as colds, can cause serious problems.

AIDS or

leukemia
Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the body's production of white blood cells. White blood cells are important for fighting infections. So, if you have leukemia you are more likely to catch an infectious disease.

leukemia
Your body's ability to fight infections is affected by medicine that you are taking for another condition, such as AIDS or cancer
You drink a lot of alcohol
You live somewhere where the risk of getting pneumonia is high, such as in a nursing home
Your spleen has been removed or isn't working right. (Your spleen is an organ on the left side of your abdomen, below your diaphragm. It helps fight infections.)

There is a special pneumococcal vaccine called Prevnar that is made for children. It should be given to all babies between 2 months old and 23 months old.

You should consider having a flu shot each year if:

Source:
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
Prevention and control of influenza: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2005; 53: 1-40. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr53e430a1.htm (accessed on 13 February 2005).

You are 50 or older
You have a long-term illness, such as

heart disease
You get heart disease when your heart isn't able to pump blood as well as it should. This can happen for a variety of reasons.

heart disease or lung disease
You have a weak immune system and your body can't fight infection well. This could be because you are getting

chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of chemicals or drugs to treat or prevent disease, usually cancer.

chemotherapy or steroid treatment, or you have HIV or AIDS
You live with or care for someone for whom getting the flu could be dangerous (for example, you are a health care worker and you want to protect your patients)
You are a woman in the second or third trimester of pregnancy.

In addition, babies and children ages 6 months to 5 years, people in close contact with children in this age group and residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities should have a flu shot once a year.

Unfortunately, not everyone who would benefit from both the pneumococcal vaccine and the flu vaccine gets them. The vaccination rate is particularly low among black Americans and also among those from lower-income groups.

Source:
Anonymous.
Influenza and pneumococcal vaccination levels among persons aged > or = 65 years--United States, 1999.
MMWR - Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2001; 50(25):532-7

If you belong to one of the groups of people who need a vaccination, talk to your doctor about getting one.

To learn more about these vaccines, see Pneumococcal vaccine and Flu vaccine.

Sources for the information on this page:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Prevention of pneumococcal disease: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 1997; 46.

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).Prevention and control of influenza: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2005; 53: 1-40. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr53e430a1.htm (accessed on 13 February 2005).

Anonymous.Influenza and pneumococcal vaccination levels among persons aged > or = 65 years--United States, 1999.MMWR - Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2001; 50(25):532-7

This information was last updated on Jan 07, 2009

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