Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Recommendations

Primary Indications

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends routine vaccination of all children aged 2-59 months with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for prevention of invasive pneumococcal disease 1, 3
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends vaccination of children aged 60-71 months with underlying medical conditions that increase risk for pneumococcal disease with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine 1, 3

Dosing Schedule for Children

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a standard 4-dose schedule of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for children aged 2-15 months, with doses given at 2, 4, 6, and 12-15 months of age 1, 3
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a catch-up vaccination schedule for previously unvaccinated children, with the number and timing of doses depending on the child's age 1, 4

Incomplete Vaccination Scenarios

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children who received ≥1 dose of PCV7 should complete the series with PCV13 1, 4, 5
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children aged 12-23 months who received 3 doses of PCV7 before age 12 months should receive 1 dose of PCV13 (at least 8 weeks after most recent dose) 4, 5

Supplemental Dosing

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a single supplemental dose of PCV13 for all children aged 14-59 months who have received 4 doses of PCV7 or another age-appropriate complete PCV7 schedule 2, 3

Special Populations

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that premature infants should receive PCV at the recommended chronologic age concurrent with other routine vaccinations if medically stable 1, 4
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children aged 2-18 years with underlying medical conditions should receive PPSV23 (23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine) after completing all recommended doses of PCV13 2, 3

Common Pitfalls and Caveats

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that interruption of the vaccination schedule does not require restarting the entire series or adding extra doses 1, 4
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that during vaccine shortages, priority should be given to children at highest risk for invasive pneumococcal disease 6, 7