- Pneumococcal
- Recommendations for Adults
What are the major changes in the ACIP recommendations for pneumococcal vaccination of adults published by CDC on January 28, 2022?
Two pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV15 and PCV20) are recommended as pneumococcal vaccination options for all adults age 65 and older and for adults age 19 through 64 with certain medical conditions or other risk factors for pneumococcal disease; ACIP no longer recommends PCV13 for adults; however, in rare circumstances when only PCV13 is accessible and the patient would otherwise be unvaccinated, CDC states that PCV13 may be used. When PCV15 is used routinely, it should be used in series with PPSV23 given one year later.
For adults eligible for pneumococcal vaccine as a result of age or a high-risk condition who have no or unknown history of pneumococcal conjugate vaccination, the same vaccination schedule options apply to all of them: either give one dose of PCV20 alone, or give a dose of PCV15 followed by a dose of PPSV23 one year later (with a minimum interval option of 8 weeks for people with an immunocompromising condition, cochlear implant, or cerebrospinal fluid leak). People age 19 through 64 with immunocompromising and non-immunocompromising underlying medical conditions and other risk factors for pneumococcal disease no longer have different recommendations.
Details of the recommendations can be found in the ACIP recommendations at www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/pdfs/mm7104a1-H.pdf. These recommendations are to be used in conjunction with CDC clinical considerations for the use of pneumococcal vaccines at: www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/pneumo/hcp/recommendations.html.
Immunize.org has developed standing orders for pneumococcal vaccination of adults at www.immunize.org/catg.d/p3075.pdf.