On September 18, 2014, APhA hosted a webinar update provided by the CDC on the new CDC recommendations concerning pneumococcal vaccination.  The new recommendations include adults 65 years and older be vaccinated with 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13, Prevnar-13). The 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23, Pneumovax) continues to be recommended for adults 65 years of age or older with the PPSV23 vaccine ideally given 6-12 months after PCV13 vaccine. This is an informational briefing and does not provide CE credit.  Additional information to help you manage the new recommendations can be found at the below sites and will be added to pharmacist.com as they become available.

In a recent MMWR (dated September 19) CDC released new pneumococcal vaccination recommendations. Adults 65 years of age or older are now recommended to get the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13, Prevnar-13®), followed by the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23, Pneumovax®23) 6-12 months later. As adults start to visit their healthcare professionals for their annual flu shot, it’s also an opportunity to raise awareness for the importance of pneumococcal vaccination and to educate healthcare professionals and the general public on the new recommendation.

Attached are key points regarding pneumococcal vaccination recommendations:

• MMWR article.
• “CDC Releases New Recommendations for Pneumococcal Vaccination”.
• Pneumococcal Frequently Asked Questions factsheet.  This factsheet was developed to help healthcare professionals address common questions patients ask regarding pneumococcal vaccination.
• CDC’s Pneumococcal Vaccination page.
• CDC’s Adult Pneumococcal Vaccine feature.
• Ready-to-publish article titled “Older Adults Can Get Added Protection against Pneumococcal Disease This Flu Season”.