Know Your Risk Factors for the Disease as Well as the Vaccine
photo taken by Brian Hoskins
Worried about the pneumococcal vaccine side effects? You are not alone. It has become a common practice for general practitioners to recommend the pneumococcal vaccine to seniors over age 65 as an added safeguard against pneumonia. This disease is caused by strep infections 25% of the time. But is the pneumonia vaccine, as most people call it, always a good idea? Are there instances when the elderly patient would be better off without it? I investigated this adult vaccine to find out.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, seniors are 2 to 3 times more likely to develop pneumonia, which is most common among nursing home patients with co-morbid conditions (patients otherwise sick with other illnesses as well). In these environments the use of antibiotics is more regular and sometimes ineffective. This is because virulent strains, other infectious and dangerous diseases like Pneumonia, MRSA, and Influenza can be life threatening to folks already weak and fragile. Experts believe that an adult vaccine for pneumonia, although not foolproof, can possibly protect these at-risk patients from deadly infections. …continue reading
