Pneumococcal Vaccine: An Emerging Consensus

Excerpt

A refreshing and long overdue emphasis on disease prevention is percolating through much of the practice of medicine in the United States. As part of this initiative, the proper use of vaccines in adult populations has received new emphasis and a variety of authoritative panels have emphasized the importance of pneumococcal vaccine in U.S. adults (1-3). Adults with chronic cardiac or pulmonary diseases and those with illnesses associated with an increased risk for pneumococcal disease or its complications have been targeted for immunization as well as the healthy elderly. Despite these urgings, coverage rates with pneumococcal vaccine are low (4),