Pneumonia Vaccination

Pneumonia Vaccination

Book your Private Pneumonia Vaccine Online with Peak Pharmacy

Did you know you could get a vaccine to protect against Pneumonia?

And did you know that up to 1 in 100 people will be diagnosed with Pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae every year?

This is called Pneumococcal disease.

Pneumonia is a serious illness. According to NHS Digital data between 2015-2017 pneumonia killed on average 29,500 people each year.

How long is a course: Single dose

Booster doses: Not required

How it is given: Injection in the upper arm

Side Effects: Usually mild. Expect fevers and injection site reactions like redness, swelling and tenderness which usually settle after a few days.

Special groups eg Children: This vaccine can be administered to children from 2 years upwards.

Prices from: £30 – £70 depending on the product. Read on for further information.

Can you treat Pneumonia?

Pneumonia usually occurs after a prior illness, for example after a viral infection like influenza, which we often call the flu. Studies have shown that prior infection with virus-like influenza can increase the risk of developing pneumonia by up to 100 times.

If you are unlucky and develop pneumonia your lungs will become inflamed. This inflammation could affect both lungs, or just one, but slowly your lungs will start filling with fluid. If left untreated, pneumonia can quickly lead to severe illness or death.

Due to the severity of pneumonia, the NHS has a selection of guidelines to aid diagnosis and treatment choices. Most commonly pneumonia is treated using antibiotics and may involve a hospital admission.

Fact:  Did you know that if you have suffered pneumonia before you are on average twice as likely to suffer pneumonia again compared to someone who hasn’t.

Preventing Pneumococcal Disease

The Vaccines: There are two different vaccines available. In the UK some patients are vaccinated on the NHS against Pneumonia. These include patients who:

• Were born after 2004 (childhood schedule)
• Are over 65 years
• Have no spleen (Asplenia)
• Suffer from chronic respiratory Illness eg Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease (COPD).
• Chronic heart disease
• Chronic kidney disease
• Chronic liver disease
• Diabetes (tablet or insulin controlled)
• Immunocompromised
• Have cochlear implants
• Or are at risk due to occupation eg Welders.

Most of these patients will be given the Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPV) which provides moderate protection for around five years against invasive strains of Pneumonia. The level of protection gained is usually highest in those who are fit and healthy. This happens because of the way the vaccine works and it means those at greatest risk due to ill health do not produce a strong immune response.

Available in the UK there is another vaccine, one that is much newer, which is known as the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV). This vaccine protects against 13 strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae and just one dose is enough to cover you for life. PCV vaccination tends to produce better, longer-lasting results in all population groups compared to PPV.

It is important to remember that no one will ever develop 100% immunity because of vaccination. On average the NHS suggests that the Pneumonia vaccine is between 50-70% effective at preventing Pneumonia.

How much does Pneumococcal Vaccination Cost?

The pharmacist providing the service will recommend the most suitable product for you after your initial consultation. Both vaccines may be offered and if this is the case they will be done at separate appointments.

There are two different types of vaccines:

• Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) | £70 | Single dose: lifetime protection predicted
• Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPV) | £30 | Single dose: approx. 5 years of protection

Why have the vaccine? I’m healthy.

Every year up to 1 in 100 people develop pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, and this includes people who are fit and healthy. Unfortunately, some patients are at greater risk than others though, as you will see in the table below, but importantly none of the at-risk NHS patient groups will be offered protection against pneumococcal disease with Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) except infants born since 2006.

The data shown above is average data acquired from Pfizer. The risk will vary between age groups with an elderly population usually suffering higher risk than those in age groups below 65.

How to prevent Pneumococcal Disease

Pneumonia can develop on its own, or develop as a complication of a previous infection. The infection could be viral or bacterial, but frequently viral diseases like Influenza increase your risk of contracting bacterial pneumonia because your immune system is weakened. Avoiding viral illnesses can reduce your risk of Pneumococcal disease and so following simple guidance from Public Health England can help protect you and others.

Steps include washing your hands regularly, sneezing or coughing into your arm or elbow and using tissues.

Aside from hand washing and sneezing into your elbow you could also consider quitting smoking, improving your diet and exercising more frequently.

Who cannot be Vaccinated?

The great news is most people can have both the Pneumonia vaccines, PPV and PCV. There are a few people who can’t however:

• Those allergic to the vaccine, or have had allergies to other ingredients in the vaccine in the past
• Those who are acutely unwell on the day of vaccination (with a fever)

Side Effects of Pneumococcal Vaccination

For most people side effects will be mild, and very similar to other vaccines that you might have had before. Both vaccines are very safe, but side effects do occur. In adults common side effects include:

Vomiting, Diarrhoea, Headaches, Decreased appetite, Fatigue, Achy joints and muscles, Rashes, Fever along with typical injection site reactions. These include redness, swelling and tenderness.

Young children can experience slightly different side effects to adults but generally, the side effects are very similar.

Data for side effects and exclusion criteria obtained from the Prevenar-13 SPC and the Pnuemoccocal Polyscaharide Vaccine SPC

Protection from Flu

If it’s flu season, why not get both vaccines?

It has been proven that the risk of Pneumonia infection is significantly higher after a viral illness like influenza. Protect yourself from complications like bacterial pneumonia by getting the flu vaccine. The flu vaccine is usually available at all Manor Pharmacy, Peak Pharmacy, Cox & Robinson and Tims and Parker pharmacies from mid to late September every year.

How do I book an appointment?

You can book online and Peak Pharmacy currently offers the Pneumonia Vaccine (PCV and PPV) through our pharmacies listed below which are also specialist Travel Clinics.