In the summer, we wrote about the newest pneumococcal vaccine approved in the United States. It is now available in Canada and is called Capvaxive and is manufactured by Merck.
There are about 100 types of pneumococcal bacteria. Capvaxive protects against 21 of those types. The great news is that the 21 strains chosen for the vaccine protect against 80% of the worst pneumonia strains which can cause disease throughout the body and lead to hospitalization. This is the greatest level of protection available in a pneumococcal vaccine to date. It is a single dose that is expected to provide long-term protection. So far, this vaccine is not available through free public health programs but is available through prescription at community pharmacies. With that said, public health does provide the pneumonia vaccine known as Prevnar 20 for people at increased risk of pneumonia. It protects against a different mix of 20 strains of bacterial pneumonia and still offers good protection for people who do not have a private plan or cannot pay out of pocket for the newer vaccine.
Most people are aware that pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that can cause cough, thick, discoloured mucus, shortness of breath, and fever. It can be caused by a bacteria, virus or fungi. What is not commonly known is that bacterial pneumonia (called streptococcus pneumonia,) can go beyond the lungs. This is called invasive pneumococcal disease. When the infection enters the bloodstream, it is known as bacteremia. When the infection reaches the tissue covering the brain and spinal cord, it is called pneumococcal meningitis. These are very serious infections requiring hospitalization. Even pneumococcal pneumonia, affecting just the lungs, causes 150,000 hospitalizations in the United States each year. Inflammation generated by pneumonia can also increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Vaccination is our best way to protect against bacterial pneumonia.
Carolyn Whiskin is the Pharmacy Manager for Charlton Health. Carolyn specializes in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, pharmaceutical compounding, women’s health, pain, and smoking cessation. Carolyn has won provincial and national awards for her commitment to patient care and public service.