Alberta Health Services
Health Information
The PNEUMO-P vaccine protects against 23 strains (types) of the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae that cause pneumococcal disease. These 23 strains cause more than 25% of pneumococcal disease in any age and over 65% of pneumococcal disease in adults age 65 years or older.
You should get the PNEUMO-P vaccine if:
You may not be able to get this vaccine if:
If you have allergies or have had a side effect to this vaccine, check with your doctor or a public health nurse before you get the vaccine.
Although you can get the vaccine if you have a mild illness, such as a cold or fever, you should stay home until you are feeling better to prevent spreading your illness to others.
Healthy people age 65 years or older need 1 dose.
You may need 1 or 2 doses of this vaccine at an earlier age if you have certain health problems such as:
Check with your healthcare provider to find out if you need doses at an earlier age and how many doses you need.
You still need a dose when you turn age 65 years, even if you have already had the vaccine. Before you get this dose, you need to wait 5 years from when you had your previous dose of this vaccine.
There are other vaccines that protect against pneumococcal disease:
Pneumococcal 13-valent conjugate vaccine (PNEU-C13)
Pneumococcal 20-valent conjugate vaccine (PCV 20)
Ask your healthcare provider what pneumococcal vaccines you should have.
You can get the vaccine at your local public health or community health centre. You may also be able to get it from your doctor or pharmacist.
You can get a PNEUMO-P vaccine at the same time, any time before, or any time after most vaccines. However, certain vaccines have a waiting period. Check with your healthcare provider about when you can get the PNEUMO-P vaccine if you:
How well the vaccine works depends on your age and general health. In older adults and high-risk groups, the protection against a serious infection from pneumococcal disease is 50% to 80%.
Protection may weaken after 5 to 10 years. However, getting more doses of the vaccine may not boost protection and is not recommended at this time.
It takes about 10 to 15 days after getting the vaccine to be protected against pneumococcal disease.
Vaccine safety is a top priority. Canada uses extremely safe vaccines. Learn more about vaccine safety in Canada, including how vaccines are monitored for continued safety, and ingredients in vaccines.
There can be side effects from the PNEUMO-P vaccine, but they tend to be mild and go away in a few days. Side effects may include:
At least 1 out of 100 people who got this vaccine reported 1 or more of these side effects. In some cases, it is unknown if the vaccine caused these side effects.
It is important to stay at the clinic for 15 minutes after your vaccine. Some people may have a rare but serious allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. If anaphylaxis happens, you will get medicine to treat the symptoms.
It is rare to have a serious side effect after a vaccine. Call Health Link at 811 to report any serious or unusual side effects.
There can be mild, short-term side effects after getting a vaccine. Find tips to manage these side effects at home.