How Effective Is Pneumococcal Vaccine?

American Family Physician,  Feb 1, 2000  by Anne D. Walling

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(Canada-Canadian Family Physician, October 1999, p. 2381.) Concerns about clinical efficacy may explain why only about one third of eligible elderly persons receive pneumococcal immunization. A review of the literature found more than 250 pertinent articles, including 13 high-quality clinical trials that included more than 65,000 patients.

The net risk reduction for systemic pneumococcal infection from vaccination was estimated to be more than 80 percent for serotypes included in the vaccine and overall to be about 73 percent. Studies of institutionalized patients did not indicate reduced efficacy compared with other elderly persons. The authors estimated that 2,520 elderly persons would need to be vaccinated to prevent one case of pneumococcal bacteremia per year.

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