Panel calls for vaccine for adult smokers
The influential Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices decided Wednesday adult smokers under 65 should get pneumococcal vaccine. The shot – already recommended for anyone 65 or older – protects against bacteria that cause pneumonia, meningitis and other illnesses.
The influential Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices decided Wednesday adult smokers under 65 should get pneumococcal vaccine. The shot – already recommended for anyone 65 or older – protects against bacteria that cause pneumonia, meningitis and other illnesses.
The vote means more than 31 million adult smokers probably will soon be called on to get the shot.
Studies have shown smokers are about four times more likely than nonsmokers to suffer pneumococcal disease. Also, the more cigarettes someone smokes each day, the higher the odds they’ll develop the illnesses.
Why smokers are more susceptible is not known for sure, but some scientists believe it has to do with smoking-caused damage that allows bacteria to more easily attach to the lungs and windpipe, said Dr. Pekka Nuorti, a medical epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Brief by The Associated Press
