If you’re 50 or older, you’re now eligible for pneumococcal vaccination.
Previously recommended beginning at age 65, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now suggests people 50 and up get vaccinated against pneumococcal disease, a serious bacterial infection caused by streptococcus pneumoniae.
“Lowering the age for pneumococcal vaccination gives more adults the opportunity to protect themselves from pneumococcal disease at the age when risk of infection substantially increases,” the CDC said in an October statement.
The change in CDC recommendations is based on epidemiological observations, says Shangxin Yang, PhD, a clinical microbiologist with UCLA Health. Many of the risk factors for developing pneumococcal disease are common in people ages 50 to 64, he says, including diabetes; chronic heart, liver or lung diseases; weakened immune system; cigarette smoking; and excessive alcohol consumption.
“On average, at least 40% of people in this age group have at least one of the medical conditions that will put them at a high risk of developing invasive or more severe infections,” Dr. Yang says. “This is probably an underrecognized population that has pretty high risk factors but has not been taken care of from a prevention standpoint.”
Pneumococcal disease is the main cause of pneumonia, which is most serious for children younger than 5 and adults 65 and older. It can also cause meningitis and bloodstream infections. Pneumococcal vaccination is among the standard childhood immunizations recommended by the CDC, protecting young children when they are most vulnerable to serious illness.
Pneumococcal bacteria infect more than 900,000 Americans each year, according to the American Lung Association. The best way to prevent pneumococcal disease is through vaccination, the CDC said.
Lowering the recommended vaccination age can also help protect Black Americans, who studies show tend to suffer high pneumococcal infection rates at younger ages, Dr. Yang says.
The newest pneumococcal vaccines protect against 21 pathogenic variations of the bacteria, he adds. For most people 50 and older, a single dose of the vaccine will provide lifelong protection.
“The prevalence of risk factors in this age group (50-64) is more than we realized,” Dr. Yang says. “When people turn 50, they still think they are young and healthy. But they may already have conditions brewing that put them at risk.”
