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Vaccine Preventable Disease Control
County of Los Angeles
Department of Public Health
Vaccine Preventable Disease Control Program
3530 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 700
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Phone: (213) 351-7800
Email: ip@ph.lacounty.gov
Common Side Effects from the Vaccine:
There are several types of pneumococcal vaccines used in the United States:
Vaccination is the best way to prevent pneumococcal disease. CDC recommends pneumococcal vaccination for:
Pneumococcal disease rates have decreased dramatically since the United States began using PCVs.
PCV15, PCV20, and PCV21 are new vaccines, so there is no data on how well these vaccines work in real-world conditions. They were approved based on clinical trial data comparing their safety and immune responses to earlier vaccines (e.g., PCV13).
Studies show that PCV13 prevented invasive pneumococcal disease caused by vaccine serotypes:
PCV13 also prevented antibiotic-resistant pneumococcal infections caused by vaccine serotypes.
For adults aged 65 years or older, studies found getting PCV13 protected:
Studies have also shown PPSV23 protects 7 in 10 adults with healthy immune systems from invasive pneumococcal disease. This protection is against pneumococcal infections caused by serotypes in the vaccine.
Talk to your healthcare provider to see which pneumococcal vaccine is right for you.
Who should not get the vaccine (if applicable):
Talk to a vaccine provider about your vaccination history and a specific vaccine's ingredients. There may be times when someone shouldn't get a pneumococcal vaccine.
There are many places to get the pneumococcal vaccine. If you have insurance, talk to your doctor or check with your local pharmacy to see what vaccines are offered. Most health insurances cover the cost of all recommended vaccines for children and adults.
If you are uninsured or underinsured, there are programs available to help cover the cost of vaccines. Children who are 18 years of age or younger are eligible to receive vaccines at no cost through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program if they are:
Click to see if your child is eligible to receive VFC vaccines: English | Spanish
Uninsured or underinsured adults can access free or low cost vaccines at select clinics enrolled in the Vaccines for Adults (VFA) program. For more information on who is eligible, read VFA Eligibility Based on Insurance Status. You can use the following resources for more information on locating clinics:
You can also dial 2-1-1 for a list of free or low cost vaccine clinics. This includes Vaccines for Children (VFC) provider locations that serve Medi-Cal eligible children and uninsured or underinsured adults. Learn more about specific vaccine information for different age groups:
Are you not sure if you have been vaccinated against pneumococcal disease or you can’t find your vaccine records?
If you need official copies of your vaccine records, or if you need to update your personal records:
Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) is a normal colonizer of the nasopharynx but can cause invasive disease in young children, older adults, and those with certain underlying conditions including immunocompromised status.
Invasive pneumococcal disease includes:
Certain individuals are at increased risk for S. pneumoniae infections, including:
The United States uses 2 types of pneumococcal vaccines. Each individual vaccine helps protect against different serotypes of pneumococcal bacteria.
Pneumococcal vaccine recommendations have been updated as of June 27, 2024, to recommend PCV21 for adults.
Infants and children
CDC recommends routine pneumococcal vaccination for all children younger than 5 years old.
Administer a 4-dose PCV series (PCV15 or PCV20), 1 dose at each of the following ages:
Vaccinate children younger than 5 years of age who miss their shots or start the series later than recommended. Catch – up guidance for healthy children aged 4 months through 4 years can be found here.
Adults aged 65 years or older
CDC recommends routine pneumococcal vaccination (PCV15, PCV20, or PCV 21) for adults who have never received PCV and are:
Based on shared clinical decision making, adults aged 65 years and older have the option to receive PCV 20 if they’ve received:
Pneumococcal vaccine is also recommended for children and adults at increased risk for pneumococcal disease. See Summary of Risk – based Pneumococcal Vaccination Recommendations or the PneumoRecs VaxAdvisor for details.
CDC estimates that rates of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in children less than 5 years have decreased by 95% since the introduction of PCVs. Rates of IPD in adults also decreased after routine vaccination with PCV was recommended for children.
Proper vaccine storage and handling practices play an important role. For general recommendations and guidance access the Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit.
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Public Health has made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translation. However, no computerized translation is perfect and is not intended to replace traditional translation methods. If questions arise concerning the accuracy of the information, please refer to the English edition of the website, which is the official version.
