I have a serious lung disease. Will the pneumonia vaccine protect me from the flu?
People with serious lung diseases should talk to your doctor about vaccines you may need during an outbreak of the flu.
All people who are recommended to have the pneumococcal vaccine should continue to be vaccinated according to current CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations during the outbreak of H1N1 flu.
You and your doctor may be interested in the ACIP recommendation. They say that a single dose of PPSV23 (the pneumococcal vaccine, Pneumovax) for all people 65 years and older and for persons 2 to 64 years of age with certain high-risk conditions is recommended. Please refer to this Web site for additional details:
- Interim guidance for use of 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine during novel influenza A (H1N1) outbreak http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance/ppsv_h1n1.htm
For more information about pneumococcal vaccine and the novel H1N1 influenza outbreak, please visit the CDC Web site:
Vaccines and Preventable Diseases: Pneumococcal Vaccination http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/pneumo/default.htm
Last Updated: 08/20/2009
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