Until now, a pneumonia vaccine was only recommended for kids and older adults. As Reno Public Radio’s Anh Gray reports, the FDA has just approved its use for others.
Prevnar 13 protects against several pneumonia strains and is already the best-selling vaccine for the illness on the market. The FDA’s decision expands the use of the drug for adults aged 18 to 49.
Dr. William Craig is with Renown Regional Medical Center. He says in some people, pneumoniasymptoms include fever, chest pain, and cough which could last for weeks. Immunizing this additional age group would protect everyone against the most common type of bacterial pneumonia.
“It’s a preventive action which would cut down on the number of people who would contract that kind of pneumonia," Craig explains, "some of those people would tend to be hospitalized and it can be fatal, but usually is not among the healthy population.”
Some vaccine side effects could include fatigue, headaches, and muscle pain, among others.
