Adult Pneumococcal Immunizations: A Practical Guide for Pharmacists

Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) affects about 30,000 adults annually in the United States, with incidence rates of 13.2 per 100,000 in adults aged 50 to 64 years and 17.2 per 100,000 in those 65 years or older.¹ Noninvasive pneumococcal disease, particularly otitis media, accounts for over 15 million physician visits annually, with Streptococcus pneumoniae causing approximately 25% of acute otitis media cases.² Additionally, pneumococcal pneumonia accounts for about 225,000 adult hospitalizations annually, which is approximately 12% to 13% of all hospitalized pneumonia cases.¹ Pneumococcal infections range from asymptomatic nasopharyngeal carriage to severe invasive disease. Noninvasive manifestations include otitis media, sinusitis, and pneumonia without bacteremia. In contrast, IPD occurs when bacteria invade normally sterile sites, leading to bacteremic pneumonia, meningitis, bacteremia without a focus, osteomyelitis, or septic arthritis.³