Pneumonia Fact Sheet & FAQs

Read the facts below to learn more about the pneumonia vaccine and why it is important. To protect you, your family and your coworkers from contracting pneumonia, [insert your organization’s name] will host a pneumoniavaccination clinic:

Date:Insert date

Time:Insert time

Location:Insert location

What Is Pneumonia?

Pneumonia – also referred to as pneumococcal disease – isan infection of the lungs that can cause mild to severe illness in people of all ages.

Statistics

Each year, pneumonia:

  • Kills more than 1.5 million children younger than 5 years of age, globally;
  • Hospitalizes over 1 million people in the United States; and
  • And kills over 50,000 people.

Symptoms

Signs of pneumonia can include:

  • Coughing
  • Fever
  • Fatigue
  • Chest pains
/
  • Nausea; vomiting
  • Rapid breathing or shortness of breath
  • Chills

Complications

Pneumonia can be fatal. In some cases, it can result in long-term problems, like brain damage, hearing loss, and limb loss.

Who gets pneumonia?

Everyone is receptive to pneumonia; however, some people are more likely to become ill. They include:

  • Adults 65 years of age or older
  • Children younger than five years of age
  • People who have underlying medical conditions (like diabetes or heart disease)
  • People who smoke cigarettes or have asthma

Causes of Pneumonia

When bacteria, viruses or, rarely, fungi living in your nose, mouth, sinuses, or the environment spread to your lungs, you can develop pneumonia or other infections. You can catch the bacteria or viruses from people who are infected with them, whether they are sick or not.

Types of Pneumonia

  • Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) – whensomeone develops pneumonia in the community (not in a hospital).
  • Pneumonia developed during or following a stay in a healthcare facility (like hospitals, long-term care facilities, and dialysis centers) is called healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP), which includes hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).

Reduce Your Risk

Pneumonia can be prevented by keeping up to date on vaccines. Often, pneumonia can be prevented by getting a flu vaccination each fall and a vaccine for pneumococcal pneumonia once every five to 10 years.

Following good hygiene practices can also help prevent respiratory infections. This includes washing your hands regularly, cleaning hard surfaces that are touched often (like doorknobs and countertops), and coughing or sneezing into a tissue or into your elbow or sleeve. You can also reduce your risk of getting pneumonia by limiting exposure to cigarette smoke and treating and preventing conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

What is the treatment for pneumonia?

People who have bacterial pneumonia take antibiotics to stop the infection. Antibiotics are not used to treat viral pneumonia because they do not stop viruses. People who have pneumonia should rest and drink lots of water and juice. Young, healthy people recover from pneumonia in two to three weeks. Older adults or people who have other health problems may need two months to recover.

What happens if pneumonia is not treated?

Most people who have mild pneumonia get better on their own;but those who have bacterial pneumonia could die. This is why it is important to see a doctor when symptoms of pneumonia are present.

Can I get the influenza and pneumococcal vaccines at the same time?
Yes. These vaccines can be given at the same time, but in different arms. In fact, pneumococcal disease can be a complication ofinfluenza, so getting both vaccines is a smart choice.

Who should get vaccinated for pneumonia?

There are currently two types of pneumococcal vaccines: pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23).

  • The PCV13 vaccine is recommended for:
  • Healthy infants, children and teens through 18 years of age.
  • Adults 65 years of age or older
  • Adults 19 years of age or older with certain medical conditions, and who have not previously received PCV13. Medical conditions include:
  • Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks
  • Cochlear implant(s)
  • Sickle cell disease and other hemaglobinopathies
  • Functional or anatomic asplenia
  • Congenital or acquired immunodeficiencies
  • HIV infection
  • Chronic renal failure
  • Nephrotic syndrome
  • Leukemia
  • Hodgkin disease
  • Generalized malignancy
  • Long-term immunosuppressive therapy
  • Solid organ transplant
  • Multiple myeloma
  • The PPSV23 vaccine is recommended for:
  • All adults 65 years of age and older.
  • Anyone 2 through 64 years of age who:
  • Has a long-term health problem.
  • Has a disease or condition that lowers the body’s resistance to infection.
  • Is taking a drug or treatment that lowers the body’s resistance to infection.
  • Any adult 19 through 64 years of age who is a smoker or has asthma.
  • Residents of nursing homes or long-term care facilities.

CDC Recommendations

  • In the 9/18/14 edition of MMWR, CDC released a new recommendation for the use of pneumococcal vaccines among adults. Adults 65 years or older are now recommended to get the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13, Prevnar-13®) and the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23, Pneumovax®23).
  • As part of the new recommendation, adults 65 years of age or older who have not previously received any pneumococcal vaccines or whose previous vaccination history is unknown should receive a dose of PCV13 first, followed 6-12 months later by a dose of PPSV23. Adults 65 years of age or older who have previously received PPSV23 should receive PCV13 at least 1 year since their most recent dose of PPSV23.