Pneumococcal Vaccination in Different Specialties.

P disease can be dangerous, and sometimes fatal, in people above the age of 50 years and with certain chronic medical condit ions . This may be true even when the chronic medical condition is well controlled with medication and/or lifestyle m a n a g e m e n t . P n e u m o c o c c a l vaccination needs to be used more consistently to reduce the risk of pneumococcal infection in these indiv iduals . 1 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), other international bodies and Association of Physicians of India (API) recommends pneumococcal v a c c i n a t i o n f o r a d u l t s w h o smoke or have chronic medical conditions, such as liver, lung, o r k i d n e y d i s e a s e ; a s t h m a ; cardiovascular disease or stroke; diabetes; hemoglobinopathies; and immunocompromising conditions like HIV. Yet, only 17.5 percent of adults younger than age 65 years with one or more of these chronic conditions have been vaccinated according to a 2009 national survey3 conducted in US. One reason may be that too few healthcare professionals are recommending pneumococcal vaccination. A recommendation by a healthcare professional is the greatest vaccination motivator for patients4. Increasing pneumococcal vaccination rates will take multiple s t ra teg ies , and a l l hea l thcare p r o f e s s i o n a l s — s p e c i a l i s t s as well as general ists , nurses, pharmacists, and others—share the responsibility for ensuring at-r isk patients are protected. In this review we are discussing the ways & roles of di f ferent health care workers in improving pneumococcal vaccination among eligible adults.