This is the Importance of Pneumonia Vaccination for Adults

Pneumonia is an infection of the lung tissue that can be caused by bacteria or viruses. There are three main symptoms of pneumonia, including shortness of breath, fever, and cough. In severe conditions, people who have pneumonia can experience severe symptoms up to respiratory failure. One effort to prevent pneumonia is to vaccinate. How important is pneumonia vaccination in preventing pneumonia?

Pneumonia vaccines can help prevent pneumonia infections. Vaccines help protect against various types of Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. Vaccines work effectively by helping the body produce its own antibodies, which protect it from exposure to bacteria that cause pneumonia.

There are several populations at risk of experiencing severe symptoms if infected with pneumonia, including:

1. Sufferers of chronic diseases such as heart problems, kidney problems, diabetes  mellitus patients, kidney problems in patients who have undergone hemodialysis, and patients with asthma. Patients who suffer from chronic diseases usually have a lower immune system, so if they are infected with pneumonia, they will experience severe symptoms up to respiratory failure.
2. The second group is patients who have immune systems, such as HIV/AIDS sufferers or people who take drugs that suppress the immune system, namely autoimmune patients.
3. People who want to travel to areas where someone could potentially be infected with pneumonia, for example, the Hajj and Umrah
4. Next, the elderly, namely those aged over 65 years, are a population at risk of experiencing severe symptoms if infected with pneumonia.

This population should be given a pneumonia vaccination so that they can avoid serious symptoms due to pneumonia and even respiratory failure. In general, guidelines for pneumonia vaccination can be recommended from 19 years of age. However, for the four populations above, the priority is to be able to vaccinate against pneumonia.

There are two types of pneumonia vaccines on the market today, including:

50. PCV 13 (Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine). This vaccine can be given to people aged 19 and older.
50. PPSV23 (Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine). This vaccine can be given to people over 50 years of age.

AEFI (Post-Immunization Event) Pneumonia Vaccination
The same as vaccination in general, pneumonia vaccination can also cause AEFI (post-immunization events) such as pain at the injection site, redness or swelling at the injection site, and then mild fever, muscle aches, and joint pain. However, there is no need to worry about this because it will disappear by itself on the 2nd or 3rd day after immunization.

Hermina friends, see the explanation about the importance of pneumonia vaccination on the Hermina Hospitals YouTube channel! (Click here)