Pneumococcal Vaccine Clinical Practice Guidelines (CDC, 2022)

Clinical practice guidelines on pneumococcal vaccination in adults from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were published in January 2022 inMorbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.^[1,2]

The CDC recommends that adults aged 65 years or older who have not previously received pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) or whose vaccination history is unknown should receive one dose of PCV (either 20-valent PCV [PCV20] or 15-valent PCV [PCV15]).

If PCV15 is administered, the CDC recommends that a dose of 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) should be given, generally at least 1 year later.

The CDC recommends that adults aged 19-64 years who have certain underlying conditions (eg, chronic heart or lung disease, diabetes mellitus, asplenia, HIV infection) and who have not previously received PCV or whose vaccination history is unknown should receive 1 dose of PCV (either PCV20 or PCV15).

If PCV15 is administered, the CDC recommends that a dose of PPSV23 should be given, generally at least 1 year later. However, to reduce the risk of invasive pneumococcal disease in vulnerable persons, the CDC advises that a minimum interval of 8 weeks between vaccinations can be considered for adults who have an immunocompromising condition, a cochlear implant, or a cerebrospinal fluid leak.

The CDC advises that adults who have previously received only PPSV23 may receive PCV (either PCV20 or PCV15) at least 1 year after their last dose of PPSV23. If PCV15 is administered to adults who have history of vaccination with PPSV23, an additional dose of PPSV23 is not required.

The CDC advises that adults who have received the 13-valent PCV should complete the previously recommended PPSV23 series.

For more information, please go to Pneumococcal Infections (Streptococcus pneumoniae) and Vaccinations – Adult.

Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.

Cite this: Pneumococcal Vaccine Clinical Practice Guidelines (CDC, 2022) - Medscape - Mar 01, 2022.

Commenting is limited to medical professionals. To comment please Log-in.

Comments on Medscape are moderated and should be professional in tone and on topic. You must declare any conflicts of interest related to your comments and responses. Please see our Commenting Guide for further information. We reserve the right to remove posts at our sole discretion.

My Alerts