New Pneumonia Vaccine May Help Prevent Infection

A study conducted published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine has found that a new vaccine for pneumonia prevents infection in patients with COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, better than the vaccine currently being used. Researchers found that this newly developed vaccine is reasonably effective in people with COPD, a progressive lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe. However, more research needs to be done before the effectiveness of the vaccine can be adequately proven on these patients.

For the study, 120 adults with were vaccinated with either the typically used vaccine, PPSV23, or the new vaccine, PCV7, for their moderate to severe COPD. The researchers found that according to several indicators, the patients who received the PCV7 vaccine had a better immune response than those who took the standard vaccine.

In addition, the researchers found that the blood of the patients who received the newly developed vaccine was better able to kill bacteria that cause pneumonia when tested one month after the immunization.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that adults with COPD receive a pneumonia vaccination to lower their risk of infection. The leading cause of COPD is smoking, so the best way to lower your risk is to quit smoking and avoid second-hand smoke. If you or a loved was seriously injured by a delay in diagnosis or treatment in lung disease or some other medical problem, contact Silberstein, Awad & Miklos’ medical malpractice lawyers for answers. We serve clients with Bronx medical malpractice, Brooklyn medical malpractice, Queens medical malpractice and Long Island medical malpractice cases.

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