IAPSM's Position Paper on Pneumococcal Vaccine (PCV) for Adult Immunization in India.
Chythra R Rao, Veena G Kamath, Anuradha Nadda, Swayam P Parida, Nikita Sharma, Kapil Goel, Ranjitha S Shetty, Madhur Verma, Arvind Kumar Singh, Abhisek Mishra, Swosti Kiran, Lalit Sankhe, Madhu Gupta
Author Information
Chythra R Rao: Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.
Veena G Kamath: Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.
Anuradha Nadda: Department of Community Medicine, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences, Mohali, Punjab, India.
Swayam P Parida: Department of Community Medicine and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
Nikita Sharma: Department of Community and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, India.
Kapil Goel: Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India.
Ranjitha S Shetty: Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.
Madhur Verma: Department of Community and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bathinda, Punjab, India.
Arvind Kumar Singh: Department of Community Medicine and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
Abhisek Mishra: Department of Community Medicine and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
Swosti Kiran: Department of Community Medicine and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
Lalit Sankhe: Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College, Nandurbar, Maharashtra, India.
Madhu Gupta: Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India.
Pneumococcal infection among adults is associated with invasive disease and poor outcomes. Pneumococcal vaccine (PCV) introduction has significantly reduced disease burden, invasive disease and reduced the rates of antimicrobial resistance. Of the various vaccines licensed, PCV 13 and PPSV 23 are available for use in India. Pneumococcal vaccination is suggested for people aged 19-64 years with immunosuppression, chronic cardiac, lung and hepatic disease, impaired splenic function, uncontrolleddiabetes mellitus, current smokers, and those abusing alcohol. It is recommended that people >65 years of age are vaccinated with PPSV23. The suggested regimen is to administer PCV13 followed by PPSV23 after one year. The vaccines have minimal side effects and tolerated well. Data on vaccine effectiveness from Indian studies is limited. Hence, documenting population demographics with surveillance on serotype specific pneumococcal disease burden in adults is needed. Following this, studies on safety, immunogenicity, and cost-effectiveness of the available vaccines need to be designed and implemented. It is suggested that in the initial phase, PCV needs to be made available for high-risk population followed by vaccination roll-out for adult population of India.
