U.S. health officials on Wednesday recommended that people over 50 get vaccinated against bacteria that can cause pneumonia and other dangerous illnesses.
This recommendation was made by a scientific advisory committee and subsequently accepted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The decision lowers the minimum age at which seniors are recommended to be vaccinated from 65.
“Now is the perfect time to get the pneumococcal vaccination in preparation for the winter respiratory season,” CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said in a statement Wednesday night.
The advisory board voted 14-1 to make the changes at a meeting in Atlanta earlier in the day. The guidance has received widespread attention among doctors and is prompting health insurance companies to pay for recommended vaccinations.
Pneumococcal vaccination recommendations are sometimes referred to as the most complex vaccination guidance issued by the government. The CDC currently recommends vaccination for children under age 5 and adults age 65 and older only if they have not previously received the pneumococcal vaccine. Officials also recommend vaccination for children and adults who are at higher risk for pneumococcal disease, such as those with diabetes, chronic liver disease or weakened immune systems.
There are more than 100 known types of pneumococcus, which can cause serious infections in the lungs and other parts of the body. Approximately 30,000 cases of invasive pneumococcal disease occur in the United States each year, including blood infections, inflammation of the brain and spine, pneumonia, meningitis, and other diseases. Approximately 30% of cases occur between the ages of 50 and 64.
The first pneumococcal vaccine was licensed in the United States in 1977, and since then, drug companies have developed new versions that give more than 10 vaccines at once. Various vaccines have lost or declined in popularity, including Pfizer’s Prevnar 13, which was once a top seller but is no longer available.
There are four types of vaccines currently in use. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the latest, Merck’s capvaxib, this year. It costs about $300 per dose and protects against 21 types, including eight that are not included in other pneumococcal vaccines. A Merck spokesperson said the product is specifically designed to protect against the types of bacteria that cause the majority of serious illnesses in adults over 50.
A CDC advisory committee recommended the vaccine as an option for high-risk adults in June. At the time, the committee also discussed the possibility of lowering the recommended age for seniors. The researchers noted that infections that cause disease peak in black Americans between the ages of 55 and 59, which is lower than that seen among whites. But the committee deferred its decision until this week’s meeting.
Some concerns: We may find that a booster shot is needed, perhaps within 15 years. There are also several new vaccines in development that may require further updates to recommendations.
“Pneumococcus has had very confusing recommendations for many years, and it’s difficult to make new recommendations every two or three years,” said Dr. Jamie Lohr, chair of the committee’s pneumococcal task force. Ta. He was the only person to vote against the proposal.
