(HealthDay News) — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released a Category A recommendation for revised routine pneumococcal vaccination in older adults. The recommendation has been published in the September 19 issue of the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Sara Tomczyk, of the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues reviewed current evidence for use of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in adults and revised the pneumococcal vaccination guidelines for individuals aged ≥65 years.
The researchers found that results of a recent randomized placebo-controlled trial showed a moderate level of evidence for the efficacy of PCV13 in preventing community-acquired pneumonia in adults aged ≥65 years. In 2010, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) approved the recommendation that all individuals should be vaccinated with 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) at age 65 years. The revised recommendations are that both PCV13 and PPSV23 be routinely administered in series to all adults aged ≥65 years. PCV13 should be administered first and PPSV23 should be administered six to 12 months later. Those who have already received PPSV23 should receive PCV13 at least one year following the most recent dose of PPSV23. ACIP recommendations for routine use of PCV13 in adults, aged ≥19 years, who have immunocompromising conditions, functional or anatomic asplenia, cerebrospinal fluid leak, or cochlear implants, remain unchanged.