Pneumococcal vaccine in elderly adults and risk groups

At present, pneumococcal vaccination is not carried out on any great scale in the Netherlands. Among adults, the vaccine is administered only to individuals who are at substantially increased risk of pneumococcal infection. These include asplenia patients, people with low immunity and those suffering from Hodgkin’s disease. At the request of the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, a Health Council committee has examined the scientific desirability of making vaccination available to additional groups of adults. In particular, the Minister wished to know whether the Council would advise combining pneumococcal vaccination with the annual influenza vaccination made available to over-sixty-fives.