Health Centres - Prevenar
How does it work?
Prevenar is a pneumococcal vaccine that contains extracts from seven of the most common types of Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. These bacteria are responsible for causing invasive diseases such as pneumonia, blood poisoning and meningitis. The vaccine works by provoking the body's immune response to the bacteria, without causing the diseases.
When the body is exposed to foreign organisms, such as bacteria and viruses, the immune system produces antibodies against them. Antibodies help the body recognise and kill the foreign organisms. They then remain in the body to help protect the body against future infections with the same organism. This is known as active immunity.
The immune system produces different antibodies for each foreign organism it encounters. This establishes a pool of antibodies that helps protect the body from various different diseases.
Vaccines contain extracts or inactivated forms of bacteria or viruses that cause disease. These altered forms of the organisms stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies against them, but don't actually cause disease themselves. The antibodies produced remain in the body so that if the organism is encountered naturally, the immune system can recognise it and attack it, thus preventing it from causing disease.
Each bacteria or virus stimulates the immune system to produce a specific type of antibody. This means that different vaccines are needed to prevent different diseases.
Prevenar contains inactivated extracts from seven of the most common types of Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. It stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies against these bacteria and thus is given to prevent the diseases that they can cause.
This pneumococcal vaccine is now part of the childhood immunisation schedule. This vaccine will usually be given as three doses, at two, four and thirteen months of age. There will be a catch-up campaign for children up to two years who have already started their immunisations and your GP will contact you to arrange this.
This vaccine is also recommended for unvaccinated children under five years of age in whom pneumococcal infection may give rise to dangerous complications. These risk groups include children with chronic heart, lung, liver or kidney diseases, diabetes, those with a weakened immune system due to disease (including HIV) or treatment (eg chemotherapy, radiotherapy, high dose corticosteroids), children with a malfunctioning spleen, eg sickle cell disease, or who have had their spleens removed, and children who have had cochlear implants.
Children in these risk groups may also need a further pneumococcal booster after their second birthday.
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