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Posted on Oct 24, 2008, 7 a.m.
By Rich Hurd
The CDC's vaccine advisory committee has decided that all adult smokers should receive the pneumococcal vaccine.
The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has decided that all adult smokers should receive the pneumococcal vaccine.
Adults aged 65 or over, and those with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, are already advised to get the vaccine. However, research has shown that more than half of cases of serious invasive pneumococcal diseases occur in cigarette smokers. In fact, smoking just one cigarette each day doubles the risk of developing pneumococcal pneumonia, and those who smoke 15 to 24 cigarettes a day are nearly four times more likely to develop the disease than a non-smoker.
Results of a recent study suggest that the pneumococccal vaccine significantly reduces the risk of heart attack in addition to protecting against pneumococcal pneumonia.
Meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. US Centers for Disease Controle and Prevention. October 22nd 2008.
Pneumonia vaccine halves heart attack risk. American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine Website (worldhealth.net). October 10th 2008.
