Pneumonia: The Daily PANCE Blueprint
At what age should routine pneumococcal vaccination begin in healthy adults without immunocompromising conditions?
A. 40 years
B. 45 years
C. 50 years
D. 65 years
E. 70 years
Answer and topic summary
The answer is C. 50 years
Per the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), routine pneumococcal vaccination now begins at age 50 for all adults who have not received a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (or whose history is unknown). Use either PCV20 or PCV21 alone, or PCV15 followed by PPSV23 (pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine) 1 year later. PCV (pneumococcal conjugate vaccines) target the strains that most often cause invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and pneumonia. Earlier vaccination (ages 19 to 49) is recommended for adults with chronic conditions (e.g., chronic heart, lung, or liver disease, or diabetes), smoking, alcoholism, or immunocompromise. The routine starting age was lowered from 65 to 50, so older teaching of “start at 65” is out of date.
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Smarty PANCE Content Blueprint Review:
Covered under ⇒ PANCE Blueprint Pulmonary ⇒
Also covered as part of the General Surgery Rotation, Family Medicine Rotation, Emergency Medicine Rotation, Internal Medicine Rotation, and Pediatric Rotation EOR topic lists.
