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PREVENTIVE CARE:

Boost Your Pneumococcal Immunization Compliance: Know Who to Vaccinate and When

Published on Sun Feb 15, 2009

A few key principles keep you on the right track.

All adults 65 years of age or older should get the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination or PPV, unless contraindicated.

Also: "Persons less than 65 years of age who are living in environments or social settings (e.g. nursing homes and other long-term care facilities) in which the risk for invasive pneumococcal disease or its complications is increased should receive the PPV," according to the RAI User's Manual.

Time for a booster? Individuals who are 65 years or older should receive a second dose of the vaccine (booster vaccine) if they received the first dose of the vaccine more than five years earlier and were less than 65 years old at the time, states the RAI User's Manual.

Don't miss: The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention recommends a second (booster) dose for immunocompromised persons due to:

• A damaged spleen or no spleen

• Sickle-cell disease

• HIV infections or AIDS

• Cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma

• Kidney failure

• Nephrotic syndrome

• History of an organ or bone transplant

• Medication regimens that lower immunity (such as chemotherapy or long-term steroids).

People older than 10 years who have the aforementioned conditions should receive the second dose five years after the first dose, according to the RAI User's Manual. "Children 10 years old and younger may get this second dose three years after the first dose," the manual instructs.

Source: RAI User's Manual.

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