5 Reasons to Get a Pneumococcal Vaccine

It’s now recommended for all adults 50 and older — here’s why you should get it

Barbara Stepko and Rachel Nania,

AARP

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Published October 30, 2020

/ Updated October 24, 2024

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Health officials are now recommending that all adults ages 50 and older get a vaccine to protect against pneumococcal disease, a serious bacterial infection that can cause pneumonia, meningitis and other illnesses. Previously, the recommendation was that adults 65 and older get the shot — most adults just need one dose — as well as individuals 19 to 64 with certain health conditions that make them more susceptible to the disease.

William Schaffner, M.D., professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, says the updated recommendations make things “much simpler” for patients and providers. Roughly 30 to 50 percent of adults ages 50 to 64 have an underlying condition that puts them at higher risk for pneumococcal disease, data shows. “So we would really like to vaccinate a large portion of that population,” Schaffner says.

Plus, invasive pneumococcal disease, which Schaffner describes as “the most serious kind,” tends to occur at higher rates in Black Americans at younger ages (50 to 64). Lowering the recommended age to 50 “will provide protection for that population at a younger age, when they need it,” he says. “This is a great opportunity to prevent much more illness.”

What is pneumococcal disease?

It’s an umbrella term for any infection caused by the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria — pneumonia and meningitis are a few examples. This bacteria spreads when respiratory secretions (think saliva or mucus) are sent through the air by coughing or sneezing and then inhaled.

Streptococcus pneumoniae are particularly lethal for the lungs and can potentially lead to pneumococcal pneumonia, the most common type of bacterial pneumonia the United States. An estimated 150,000 Americans are hospitalized with this illness each year, and it kills about 1 in 20 of those infected.

Even with appropriate antibiotics, pneumococcal pneumonia, “particularly in people 65 and older,” has a high case-fatality rate, notes Gregory Poland, M.D., director of the Mayo Clinic’s Vaccine Research Group. A big reason: As we age, the immune system becomes less able to fight off infections.

But studies show the pneumococcal vaccine can help lower your chances of contracting the disease, or reduce its severity if you do get it, possibly saving you from a stint in the hospital or even death.

That alone is a good reason to get the vaccine once you’re eligible. Here are five others.

1. It’s flu season

Flu season is upon us, and that matters because “pneumococcal pneumonia can follow other viral infections, particularly influenza,” Schaffner says.

Here’s how: The flu virus attaches to, and infects, the cells lining the mucous membranes in the back of the throat and nose. Normally, the cells eject infectious agents out of the body via the nose or mouth, or they’re simply swallowed. But when impaired by the flu, the cells lining these membranes allow bacteria to slip down into the bronchial tubes and trigger a secondary infection in the lungs.

The infection inflames the air sacs in the lungs and causes them to fill with pus and fluid, making it harder to breathe and triggering a whole host of other unpleasant symptoms.

The flu shot can reduce your likelihood of experiencing this dangerous dual flu-pneumonia infection. So can the pneumococcal vaccine, which unlike the flu shot, isn’t given on an annual basis. For most, one jab will do it. That said, if you’re going in for your flu shot and are eligible for your pneumococcal vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says you can get them at the same time.

You can also get the pneumococcal vaccine on another visit. "It does not have to be seasonal,” Schaffner says.

2. It can help prevent serious infections throughout the body

Your lungs aren’t the only part of the body vulnerable to pneumococcal infections. Those pathogens can invade other areas as well.

“Bacterial infections, by their nature, are dirty infections — they are bugs in our system,” says Ian Neel, M.D., associate professor of medicine and medical director in the Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology at UC San Diego Health. “If left untreated, or if part of a particularly virulent strain, they typically take hold in a specific site — the lungs, for example. If they expand too much, they can get into other surrounding tissues and can move into our bloodstream. And if it’s in our bloodstream, it can get spread throughout our body, which can be catastrophic.”

To say the least. Pneumococcal infections can lead to sepsis, which is an aggressive inflammatory response that can ultimately result in organ failure and death. In rarer cases, the infection can pass through the brain barrier and cause meningitis.

3. It might protect your ticker

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and the pneumococcal vaccine may help protect against cardiovascular events in adults.

A meta-analysis of 18 studies, with over 700,000 participants, found the 23-valent polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccine (PPV23) provided protection from some cardiovascular events — specifically a heart attack — in people who were vaccinated, particularly those 65 years and older.

“One of the things we have learned about the germs that cause inflammation in our bodies — these influenza and pneumococcal organisms — is that even after we recover from the acute illness, the inflammation persists for a while and can put us at increased risk of a heart attack,” Schaffner says.

4. It may benefit your brain

While more studies are needed, promising research suggests that the pneumococcal vaccine may also be associated with a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. A team of researchers from Duke University reviewed the medication records of more than 5,000 adults 65 and older to seek out a link between the pneumococcal vaccination and a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

They found that people who received the pneumococcal vaccine between ages 65 and 75 had a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life by as much as 40 percent. The results were presented at the 2020 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference alongside other research that also linked the influenza vaccine to a lower risk of dementia.

“Vaccinations against pneumonia before age 75 may reduce Alzheimer’s risk later in life, depending on [genetic makeup],” study author Svetlana Ukraintseva said in a news release. “These data suggest that pneumococcal vaccine may be a promising candidate for personalized Alzheimer’s prevention, particularly in noncarriers of certain risk genes.”

5. Pneumonia can be sneaky

Many people, children in particular, can have this bacteria in their nose or throat and not display any symptoms, since their immune system stops the germs from moving to another part of the body. However, they can still transmit the disease to others. What’s more, symptoms of pneumonia— including fever, difficulty breathing, chest pain, and coughing up phlegm or mucus — make it easy to mistake for merely a stubborn cold or a bout of flu or COVID-19. But unlike with a cold, flu or COVID, antibiotics are often needed to treat pneumococcal pneumonia.

What to know about the pneumococcal vaccine

Who needs it: Young children aside, the CDC recommends pneumococcal vaccines for adults 50 and older. Younger adults with certain health conditions may also be eligible for the shot.

Which one to get: There are several different types of pneumococcal vaccines on the market — and more in the research pipeline — but the CDC recommends PCV15, PCV20, or PCV21 for older adults. Just know that if you get PCV15, it should be followed by the PPSV23 vaccine, another type of pneumococcal vaccine, at least one year later to complete the series. (This can be shortened to eight weeks when a patient has an immunocompromising condition.) If you’ve received a pneumococcal vaccine in the past but never completed your series, ask your health care provider which shot you should receive.

Why you need it: Pneumococcal pneumonia leads to approximately 150,000 hospitalizations each year in the United States, CDC statistics show. Young children and older adults have the highest incidence of serious illness, and older adults are more likely to die from it.

Editor’s Note: This story, originally published Oct. 26, 2020, has been updated with new information.

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Barbara Stepko was a longtime health and lifestyle writer, and former editor at Women’s Health and InStyle. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Parade and other national magazines.

Rachel Nania is an award-winning health editor and writer at AARP.org, who covers a range of topics including diseases and treatments.

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