The Loyola facility is located in a small shopping center at 1950 S. Harlem Ave. in North Riverside, a near-west suburb of Chicago. Statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control indicate that only about 30 percent of the over-65 age group received the vaccine in 1993. Studies have shown that Pneumovax 23 is effective in preventing bacterial meningitis caused by the Streptococcus pneumonia and in minimizing the bacteria's ability to invade the bloodstream. Infection of a person's blood can cause death in as many as 40 percent of all cases, especially among the elderly and other high-risk groups. The vaccine may even prove helpful in protecting a person from Strep pneumococcus pneumonia, although its effectiveness against pneumonia has not been conclusively shown, Koller said.
Most patients require only a single injection of the vaccine for a lifetime of protection.
A small number of individuals with weakened immunity systems may need another injection six years to 10 years later, Koller stated. For most individuals who receive the Pneumovax 23, side effects are minimal. Soreness, redness and swelling may occur at the injection site. The Centers for Disease Control estimate that as many as 20,000 deaths could be prevented in this country if more at-risk individuals were to receive the Pneumovax 23.