Prevention

Vaccine

CDC recommends pneumococcal vaccination for

• All children under 2 years old
• Older adults 65 years old or older
• Older children and adults who are at increased risk for pneumococcal disease

See Pneumococcal vaccination: Information for healthcare professionals for information on all pneumococcal vaccine recommendations by vaccine, age, and indication.

Chemoprophylaxis

In general, CDC does not recommend chemoprophylaxis for close contacts of patients with pneumococcal disease. Secondary cases of invasive pneumococcal infection are uncommon.

Chemoprophylaxis for children with asplenia

The American Academy of Pediatrics typically recommends daily antimicrobial prophylaxis with oral penicillin V for children with functional or anatomic asplenia, especially those with sickle cell disease. In general, clinicians should consider antimicrobial prophylaxis (in addition to vaccination) for all children with asplenia younger than 5 years of age and for at least 1 year after splenectomy.