Get the pneumococcal vaccine after 65
- Moderate value
- Evidence A
- Buys life
- For: Elderly relative at home, Age 60+
- Costs a little
- Takes minutes
- No willpower
In plain words
In a trial of 84,500 (8.45万) older adults, the 13-valent pneumococcal vaccine blocked about 46% of pneumonia caused by the types it covers, and 75% of the most dangerous invasive infections. But no effect was seen on pneumonia from all causes, so don't expect it to prevent all pneumonia.
- Cost
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A few hundred CNY. Free for older people in some areas.
- What you get
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The Netherlands randomized 84,500 (8.45万) people over 65 into two groups to compare. The vaccine used was the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Its efficacy against vaccine-type pneumonia was 45.6% (95.2% CI 21.8–62.5, the plausible range). Vaccine-type means the bacterial types the vaccine covers. Its efficacy against invasive pneumococcal disease, the most dangerous kind of infection, was 75.0% (95% CI 41.4–90.8). For pneumonia from all causes put together, it had no effect.
- Notes
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It protects only against the types it covers; getting it does not mean you won't get pneumonia. The vaccine commonly given to older adults in China is the 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine, which is not the same as the 13-valent conjugate vaccine used in this trial, so the efficacy figures above can't be applied to it directly.
- Evidence grade
- A : Specific numbers from meta-analyses, large cohorts or randomized trials; for law and policy, the statute or official text.
- Sources
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- Bonten MJ, Huijts SM, Bolkenbaas M, et al. (2015). Polysaccharide conjugate vaccine against pneumococcal pneumonia in adults. New England Journal of Medicine, 372(12), 1114-1125. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1408544
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Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 1, tip 22. This section is about health and medicines. It is general information, not a substitute for a doctor’s diagnosis or prescription. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer