“Pneumonia Vaccine Saves Lives”

“Pneumonia Vaccine Saves Lives”
By Andrew Ellsworth, MD


Over one hundred years ago, the gold mining industry of South Africa had a problem: too many workers were dying from pneumonia. They turned to Dr. Almorth Wright, a British physician who had successfully created a vaccine against typhoid fever that saved countless lives of British soldiers in World War I and other wars. Wright and his colleagues developed an inoculation of killed pneumococci bacteria which resulted in a substantial reduction of cases of pneumonia and death in the miners.  


Pneumonia is an infection in the lungs that causes inflammation and accumulation of fluid or pus, making it difficult to breathe. Pneumonia can be caused by viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Risk factors for pneumonia include old age, young children, smoking, lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, other chronic medical conditions, poor air quality, and more. 


Antibiotics have been revolutionary in treating bacterial pneumonia, decreasing the rates of death substantially. Unfortunately, antibiotics do not treat viruses, and early use of antibiotics in the course of a virus will not decrease the risk of pneumonia. If someone has cold symptoms, rest, fluids, time, and an expectorant like guaifenesin can be helpful. If symptoms get worse with the return or persistence of fevers, worsening cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain, please seek medical attention. 


Vaccines for pneumonia, influenza, haemophilus influenzae (Hib), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have significantly decreased the rates of pneumonia. The pneumonia vaccine is now recommended for infants and young children, all adults over 50 years of age and those with certain chronic medical conditions.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lowered the age recommendation from 65 to 50 in October 2024 since adults aged 50+ are 6.4x more likely than younger adults to get pneumococcal pneumonia. 


The pneumonia vaccine has changed and updated through the years with the types of bacteria that are targeted. If you have already received a pneumonia vaccine, depending on what you have received and if it has been several years or if you have chronic medical conditions, you may want to talk to your healthcare provider about getting a new pneumonia vaccine.  


Prevention is the best way to fight disease. To prevent pneumonia, it is helpful to wash your hands, do not smoke, consider vaccination, and help keep your immune system strong by getting good sleep, exercising, and eating healthy.


Andrew Ellsworth, MD. is part of The Prairie Doc® team of physicians and currently practices Family Medicine at Avera Medical Group in Brookings, South Dakota. Follow The Prairie Doc® at www.prairiedoc.org, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and Threads. Prairie Doc Programming includes On Call with the Prairie Doc®, a medical Q&A show (most Thursdays at 7pm on SDPB and streaming on Facebook), 2 podcasts, and a Radio program (on SDPB), providing health information based on science, built on trust.