The commonly used pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines do not appear to be effective for preventing pneumonia, found a UK and Swiss study. In many countries, including the US, pneumococcal vaccines are given primarily to people over the age of 65 and those with certain chronic diseases. The current study reviewed 22 prior studies and found that when only high quality studies were included, there was no evidence that pneumococcal vaccines could prevent pneumonia. However, some critics are warning that further research is needed prior to changing current vaccine policies. For now the study adds to the ongoing debate around effectiveness of the vaccine.
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Tags: pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine, pneumonia, swiss, UK, vaccine
Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.
January 7th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
I had a pneumonia shot in 2007, and got pneumonia about three months later. I do not plan on ever having another pneumonia shot, it was NOT EFFECTIVE for protection. Further, I have never had a flu shot, and have not had the flu for appx 25 years.