mayoclinic :Pneumococcal vaccine: When is it appropriate for olderchildren?
The Centers for Disease Control and Preventionrecommends the vaccine for all children younger than 2years. This age group is at the greatest risk ofserious complications, including death, frompneumococcal disease. But the vaccine is alsorecommended for older children who are at increasedrisk of pneumococcal disease, such as due to:
Chronic lung conditions, such as asthma Sickle cell disease
Q: A pediatrician recommended the pneumococcal vaccinefor our preschooler. I thought this was only given toinfants. Is it safe for older children?
A: The pneumococcal vaccine helps prevent pneumococcalinfection. Pneumococcal bacteria cause many illnessesin children younger than 5 years, including:
Bacterial meningitis
Blood infection (sepsis)
Bacterial pneumonia
Ear infections
Sinusitis
Pink eye (bacterial conjunctivitis)
The Centers for Disease Control and Preventionrecommends the vaccine for all children younger than 2years. This age group is at the greatest risk ofserious complications, including death, frompneumococcal disease. But the vaccine is alsorecommended for older children who are at increasedrisk of pneumococcal disease, such as due to:
Chronic lung conditions, such as asthma Sickle cell disease
HIV infection
Chronic heart conditions
Immune system disorders
The potential risks of the pneumococcal vaccine aresimilar to those associated with other antibacterialvaccines - primarily brief, mild reactions, such asswelling and redness at the site of injection and mildfever. Rarely, a severe adverse reaction may occur.Children who have had a severe reaction after a doseof pneumococcal vaccine shouldn’t receive subsequentdoses of the vaccine.
