Brand Name(s):

• Prevnar®

Other Name(s):

• PCV7

IMPORTANT WARNING:

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) is no longer available in the U.S. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) will replace this vaccine.

What is pneumococcal disease?

Infection withStreptococcus pneumoniaebacteria can make children very sick. It causes blood infections, pneumonia, and bacterial meningitis, mostly in young children. (Meningitis is an infection of the covering of the brain.) Pneumococcal meningitis kills about 3 people in 10 who get it. Pneumococcal meningitis can also lead to other health problems, including deafness and brain damage. Before there was a vaccine, pneumococcal infection caused over 700 cases of meningitis, 13,000 blood infections, about 5 million ear infections, and about 200 deaths every year in the United States in children under five. Children younger than 2 years of age are at highest risk for serious disease. Pneumococcal bacteria are spread from person to person through close contact. Pneumococcal infections can be hard to treat because some strains of the bacteria have become resistant to the drugs that have been used to treat them. This makespreventionof pneumococcal infections, through vaccination, even more important.

Why get vaccinated with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7)?

There are 91 strains of pneumococcal bacteria. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) protects against 7 of them. These 7 strains are responsible for most severe pneumococcal infections among children. Since PCV came into use, severe pneumococcal disease has dropped by nearly 80% among children under 5. PCV can also prevent some cases of pneumonia and some ear infections. But pneumonia and ear infections have many causes, and PCV only works against those caused by pneumococcal bacteria. PCV is given to infants and toddlers to protect them when they are at greatest risk for serious diseases caused by pneumococcal bacteria. Older children and adults with certain chronic illnesses may get a different vaccine called pneumococcalpolysaccharidevaccine. There is a separate Vaccine Information Statement for that vaccine.

Who should get PCV7, and when?

Infants and Children Under 2 Years of Age:

PCV is routinely given as a series of 4 doses, one dose at each of these ages: 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, and 12-15 months. Children who miss their shots at these ages should still get the vaccine. The number of doses and the intervals between doses will depend on the child's age. Ask your health care provider for details.

Children 2 through 4 Years of Age:

Healthy children between their 2nd and 5th birthdays who have not completed the PCV series should get 1 dose. Children with medical conditions such as sickle cell disease, a damaged spleen or no spleen, cochlear implants, HIV/AIDS or other diseases that affect the immune system (such as diabetes, cancer, or liver disease), or chronic heart or lung disease or children who take medications that affect the immune system (such as chemotherapy or steroids) should get 1 or 2 doses of PCV, if they have not already completed the 4-dose series. Ask your health care provider for details.

PCV may be given at the same time as other vaccines.

Which children should not get PCV7 or should wait?

Children should not get pneumococcal conjugate vaccine if they had a serious (life-threatening) allergic reaction to a previous dose of this vaccine, or if they have a severe allergy to any vaccine component. Tell your health-care provider if your child has ever had a severe reaction to any vaccine, or has any severe allergies.

Children with minor illnesses, such as a cold, may be vaccinated. But children who are moderately or severely ill should usually wait until they recover before getting the vaccine.

What are the risks from PCV7?

Any medicine, including a vaccine, could possibly cause a serious problem, such as a severe allergic reaction. However, the risk of any vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.

In studies (nearly 60,000 doses), pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was associated with only mild reactions:

• Up to about 1 infant out of 4 had redness, tenderness, or swelling where the shot was given.
• Up to about 1 out of 3 had a fever greater than 100.4 °F (38 °C), and up to about 1 in 50 had a higher fever (over 102.2 °F (39 °C)).
• Some children also became fussy or drowsy, or had a loss of appetite.

No serious reactions have been associated with this vaccine.

Life-threatening allergic reactions from vaccines are very rare. If they do occur, it would be within a few minutes to a few hours after the vaccination.

What if there is a severe reaction?

What should I look for?

Any unusual condition, such as a high fever or behavior changes. Signs of a severe allergic reaction can include diffi culty breathing, hoarseness or wheezing, hives, paleness, weakness, a fast heart beat or dizziness.

What should I do?

The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program

A federal program exists to help pay for the care of anyone who has a serious reaction to a vaccine.

How can I learn more?

AHFS® Consumer Medication Information. © Copyright, The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc., 7272 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland. All Rights Reserved. Duplication for commercial use must be authorized by ASHP.

Selected Revisions: July 1, 2011.