For more information on clinic dates and times, call the Health Division. Pneumococcal disease is an infectious respiratory illness of particular concern to older people. The disease is most likely to strike in the winter and spring, but may also occur year round. The most common symptoms are chills, fever, chest pain, shortness of breath, and a severe cough. Other people may vomit or have seizures.
Pneumococcal disease kills thousands of older people in the United States each year.
Drug-resistant strains of pneumococcal bacteria have become increasingly common in the United States and in other parts of the world, making treatment of invasive pneumococcal disease difficult. Persons over the age of 65 should receive the pneumococcal vaccine once to be protected from the disease. Routine re-vaccinations are not recommended. However, a second dose is indicated for persons who received their first dose when they were under the age of 65, and if 5 or more years have passed since that vaccination. A second dose is also indicated for those who have compromised immune systems.