Pneumococcal vaccination for adults

What's included in the product?

The vaccine is intended for use in the prevention of pneumococcal pneumonia and other serious pneumococcal infections, such as sepsis or meningitis caused by the pneumococcal serotypes in the vaccine.

Who is the pneumococcal vaccine for?

According to the recommendations of Polish specialists, the pneumococcal vaccine is recommended to all people who are particularly at risk of pneumococcal infection, in particular:

• people over the age of 65,
• adults in the risk groups - including those suffering from chronic heart and lung diseases, diabetes, alcoholism, acquired immunity disorders, and post-splenectomy.

If you have a loved one who meets the above criteria, it is also worth protecting yourself to ensure you don’t infect them - vaccination protects people who are particularly at risk of complications from pneumococcal infections through a cocoon strategy.

Pneumococcal vaccination in the current unstable epidemiological situation is even more crucial. These vaccinations will help prepare the body to fight off the SARS-CoV-2 infection. In case of coronavirus infection, it is better to be protected from other viruses and bacteria. It is also especially important to avoid co-infections caused by these pathogens, which may increase the risk of severe respiratory disease.

Benefits of the vaccination?

• immunity against pneumococcal infections - such as pneumonia, sepsis or meningitis;
• lower chance of co-infection that can occur after coronavirus infection and increase the risk of complications from respiratory diseases.

How to use the package?

1. First, select the city and the Medical Centre where you would like to have the vaccination. NOTE: Qualifying visits for vaccination are not included in the price. Patients who do not have these visits included in their healthcare plan can purchase them separately.
2. After paying for the vaccination, book a qualifying visit for vaccinations. This visit is required prior to each vaccine administration. Vaccination takes place immediately after the qualifying visit.
3. You can purchase and book the visit at a Medicover Centre reception desk or by calling the Hotline at +48 500 900 550.

If the doctor does not approve the patient for vaccination, the patient must book another qualifying visit on the date indicated by the doctor. The patient must pay for this visit separately (unless it is included in the patient’s healthcare plan).

Pneumococcal bacteria are called Streptococcus pneumoniae, also known as pneumococci. Most often they settle in the throat or nose. Pneumococcal infections affect adults as well as children, so vaccination in adulthood should not be underestimated.

According to estimates, pneumococci cause 14.5 million cases, and as many as 800,000 deaths of children under 5 years of age annually. You can become infected with pneumococci not only through direct contact with a sick person or bacterial carrier, but also through inhalation of tiny droplets of airway secretion or saliva that float in the air, e.g. after sneezing or coughing, even while laughing or talking.

Pneumococcal droplets can be spread up to 1 metre. So if someone is standing in this "line of fire", they are certainly inhaling it. This means that the risk of pneumococcal infection occurs in everyday situations - when traveling by public transport, in the office, when traveling on business or at social events.

The symptoms of pneumococcal meningitis come on suddenly and include:

• headache,
• vomiting,
• high fever,
• stiff neck,
• hypersensitivity to light and touch (so-called skin hyperaesthesia),
• disturbances of consciousness,
• loss of consciousness.

This may result in increased intracranial pressure, which is manifested by convulsions or paralysis of the cranial nerves. The infection may lead to pneumococcal sepsis or pneumonia, which may cause complications and even death.