People 50 and older should get pneumococcal vaccine, U.S. health officials recommend

recent YORK — U.S. health officials on Wednesday recommended that people 50 and older get a shot against bacteria that can factor pneumonia and other risky illnesses.

The recommendation was made by a scientific advisory panel and then accepted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The selection lowered — from 65 — the minimum recommended age for older adults to get the shot.

“Now is a great period to get vaccinated against pneumococcal disease in preparation for the winter respiratory period,” CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said in a statement Wednesday night.

The advisory committee voted 14-1 to make the transformation during a conference earlier in the day in Atlanta. The guidance is widely heeded by doctors and prompts health insurers to pay for recommended shots.

Pneumococcal shot recommendations are sometimes called the most complicated vaccination guidance that the government issues. The CDC currently recommends shots for children younger than 5 and adults 65 or older, as long as they have never been vaccinated against pneumococcal disease. Officials also recommend the shots for children and adults at increased uncertainty for pneumococcal disease, such as those with diabetes, chronic liver disease or a weakened immune structure.

There are more than 100 known types of pneumococci bacteria, which can factor solemn infections in the lungs and other parts of the body. Each year, the U.S. sees roughly 30,000 cases of invasive pneumococcal disease, which includes blood infections, brain and spine inflammation, and other illnesses. About 30% of cases are among 50- to 64-year-olds.

The first pneumococcal vaccine was licensed in the U.S. in 1977, and since then pharmaceutical companies have been coming up with newer versions that target a dozen or more types in a single shot. Different vaccines have fallen in and out of favor, including Pfizer’s Prevnar 13, which was once a top-seller but is no longer available.

There are four vaccines now in use. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this year approved the newest — Merck’s Capvaxive, which can expense around $300 a dose and protects against 21 types, including eight not included in other pneumococcal vaccines. A Merck spokesperson said it was specifically designed to assist protect against the bacteria types that factor the majority of severe disease in adults aged 50 and older.

The CDC advisory panel in June recommended the vaccine as an alternative for adults at higher uncertainty. At the period, the committee also talked about the possibility of lowering the age recommendation for older adults. They noted that illness-causing infections peak at age 55 to 59 in Black Americans — a lower age than what’s seen in white people. But the committee put off that selection until this week’s conference.

Some concerns: A booster shot may prove to be essential, perhaps in about 15 years. And there are some recent vaccines in advancement that could force another update to the recommendations.

“Pneumococcal has been a very confusing recommendation for many, many years and it’s challenging to have a recent recommendation every two or three years,” said Dr. Jamie Loehr, chair of the committee’s pneumococcal working throng. He was the only person to vote against the proposal.

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