Pneumococcal

Pneumococcal disease is caused by invasive bacteria. It can be life-threatening and present as pneumonia, meningitis, middle ear disease or septicaemia.

The pneumoccoccal vaccine has been available since the mid 1980's, however changes to the recommendations over time have made it confusing to the public. 

Pneumococcal is a routine vaccine for children in the first year of life and for non-indigenous Australians over 70 years. It is also recommended for Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander adults over 50 years and for all individuals with medical conditions which put them at risk of serious pneumococcal disease.

Two vaccines are currently funded under the National Immunisation Program. These are Prevenar 13 and 23vPPV (Pneumovax). The latter one is being offered to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at 12 months after their dose of Prevenar 13.

Recommendations are likely to change in the near future with 2 new vaccines being registered in Australia. These are Prevenar 15 and Prevenar 20. The number represents the number of strains covered by the vaccine. The more the better.

Travellers are at greater risk of exposure to infectious respiratory disease.

It is almost impossible to avoid crowds either in airports, on transport or in shopping malls. Access to medical help isn’t always easy and a diagnosis for a medical issue might be delayed. Invasive disease can be life-threatening within hours.