Protecting our most vulnerable from the risk of pneumococcal disease

+Practice

VACCINES

Protecting our most vulnerable from the risk of pneumococcal disease

6 July 2022

By Shelley Kininmonth and Anna Howe

Wednesday 6 July 2022, 12:30 AM

Unvaccinated children are vulnerable to the potentially devasting impact of pneumococcal disease [Image: IMAC]

Identifying those at highest risk of invasive pneumococcal disease is vital, so they can be protected with the appropriate vaccination schedule

Key points, People at highest risk of pneumococcal disease are under five years of age; older people; the immunocompromised; those with respiratory or cardiovascu, Pract Green w Pale Yellow

Paediatrics

References

Van Buynder PA. Reducing pneumococcal risk in people aged 65 years and over. Med Today 2019;20(2 Suppl):11–4.
ESR. Annual Notifiable Disease Tables. https://surv.esr.cri.nz/surveillance/annual_diseasetables.php
Eichler N, Reynolds E, Jackson C, et al. Invasive pneumococcal disease and serotype emergence in the Auckland region during the vaccine era 2009–16. J Prim Health Care 2019;11(1):24–31.
Manoharan A, Jayaraman R. Pneumococcal vaccines. Indian J Med Microbiol 2018;36(4):465–74.
Ministry of Health. Pneumococcal disease. Immunisation Handbook 2020. https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/immunisation-handbook-2020/16-pneumococcal-disease
Falkenhorst G, Remschmidt C, Harder T, et al. Effectiveness of the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) against pneumococcal disease in the elderly: systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One 2017;12(1):e0169368.
Marra F, Zhang A, Gillman E, et al. The protective effect of pneumococcal vaccination on cardiovascular disease in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Infect Dis 2020;99:204–13.

How to Treat

+How to treat

For older people and frail people, the long-term benefit of medicines reduces and the potential for harm from adverse effects increases. When the benefit–risk balance changes in this way, medicine review and optimisation are important to simplify the therapeutic regimen, reduce inappropriate medicines and minimise risks. In this article, pharmacist prescriber Linda Bryant uses two case studies to illustrate important considerations during medicine reviews

Wednesday 28 May 2025, 12:50 AM