Quadrivalent Influenza & Pneumococcal Vaccination

Flu experts recommend everyone six months and older should get vaccinated every year. The flu is contagious and can cause serious respiratory infection. The timing of seasonal flu activity is unpredictable and can vary, but most typically occurs between October and May.

After vaccination, it can take two to four weeks for the antibodies that protect against the influenza virus infection to develop in the body. Vaccination is especially important for people at high risk for developing flu complications, such as adults age 65 and older, pregnant women, people with chronic medical conditions, and children younger than age five. Yearly vaccination provides the best protection against flu throughout the season.

But there’s another vaccine -one that helps protect you from pneumonia.

While not a seasonal vaccine or as widely prescribed as the flu shot, the pneumococcal vaccine helps protect those most at risk for serious pneumococcal infections that can lead to complications, a hospital stay or even death.

Pneumonia is an infection in one or both lungs that typically stems from several kinds of germs, most often bacteria and viruses.

Not only will the pneumococcal vaccine help reduce the risk of contracting certain types of bacterial pneumonia, it also guards against serious consequences resulting from the flu and severe infections, such as sepsis. It’s important to also note that the vaccine helps protect against some — but not all — bacterial pneumonia. The vaccine will certainly reduce your risk of the most common bacterial pneumonia.

Who should get the vaccine?

• All babies and children younger than 2 years old.
• All adults 65 years or older.
• Adults 19 through 64 years old who smoke cigarettes.
• Children older than 2 and adults younger than 65 who have certain chronic diseases (those that affect the heart, lung and kidney).
• Those who are at increased risk for certain diseases (diabetes, chronic heart, lung and liver disease) and those who have impaired immune systems.

Two Types of Pneumococcal Vaccine

1. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13 or Prevnar 13®). This vaccine joins a protein to part of the bacteria to improve the protection the vaccine provides. It helps protect against 13 types of bacteria that are the most common cause of serious infection. Typically, children receive three doses and adults one dose.
2. Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23 or Pneumovax23®). This vaccine looks like certain bacteria. This stimulates the body to build protection against those germs. It helps protect against 23 types of bacteria. Most people receive a single dose, with one to two boosters recommended for some.

>>> Research shows that at least one dose of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine protects at least 8 out of 10 babies and 75 out of 100 adults (65 or older) from invasive pneumococcal disease. One dose of the second vaccine protects between 50 to 85 out of 100 healthy adults against invasive pneumococcal disease.

A vaccine promotion : 

1. Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine                 790         Baht
2. Pneumococcal Vaccine                                  3,190     Baht   

For more information please contact 1772 or www.phyathai.com