There are two different vaccines that protect you against pneumococcal infections:
- pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), used to vaccinate children under two years of age
- pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV), used to vaccinate people 65 years of age or over, and those at high risk
Both vaccines are given by injection, usually into your upper arm, and contain several different strains of pneumococcal bacteria. For infants under one year of age, the injection may be given into the upper leg (thigh).
The pneumococcal vaccine encourages your body to produce antibodies against pneumococcal bacteria. Antibodies are proteins produced by the body to neutralise or destroy disease-carrying organisms and toxins. They protect you from becoming ill if you are infected with the bacteria.
The aim of the vaccine is to protect against most pneumococcal bacteria, although there is no guarantee that you will be immune to all types of the bacteria.
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) is recommended for children under two years of age, as part of the childhood vaccination programme.
A newer version of the PCV, which the Department of Health (DH) approved in 2010, protects against 13 strains of pneumococcal bacteria.
Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine
The pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV) is recommended for adults over 65 years of age and for children and adults aged from 2-64 years considered to be at higher risk because of a chronic (long-term) health condition.
The PPV protects against 23 types of pneumococcal bacteria. According to the Health Protection Agency (HPA), this covers 96% of the types of pneumococcal bacteria that can cause serious diseases in the UK.
Children at risk are given the PPV at two years of age because it does not protect those aged under two.
