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Pneumococcal vaccines

On this page you’ll find an overview of pneumococcal vaccines, including what they are, who can get them and why they’re important. 

  • Pneumococcal vaccines protect against meningitis and other disease caused by pneumococcal bacteria.
  • The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that all countries include pneumococcal vaccines in childhood immunisation programmes.
  • Vaccination is the best way to protect against serious pneumococcal disease.
  • Pneumococcal vaccines have saved over 1.6 million lives since their introduction in 2000.1
  • Vaccination reduces the need for antibiotic treatments. This helps to reduce the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.

What are pneumococcal vaccines?

Pneumococcal vaccines protect against disease caused by pneumococcal bacteria. Pneumococcal bacteria (also known as Streptococcus pneumoniae) can cause a number of illnesses. These range from minor bronchitis and ear and sinus infections to more serious conditions. These include pneumonia, septic arthritis, meningitis, and sepsis.
 
Read more about pneumococcal meningitis.
 
There are at least 100 types (known as serotypes) of pneumococcal bacteria that can cause disease. Some types are more likely to cause serious disease than others. Vaccines are available to protect against some of the most common harmful types of pneumococcal bacteria.
 
Pneumococcal vaccines work by introducing a harmless piece of the bacteria, called an antigen, into your body. This allows your immune system to recognise the bacteria and make protective antibodies against it. These antibodies then circulate in the bloodstream. If you come into contact with the bacteria you’ve been vaccinated against, your antibodies can destroy them before they can make you sick.

There are two types of pneumococcal vaccine:

  • Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV). These are made from a small piece of the sugar coating on the outside of the bacteria, joined to a harmless protein. PCVs work well in children and provide long-lasting protection. PCVs protect the child who gets vaccinated, and also stops them from carrying the bacteria and passing it to others. This helps to protect the wider population from the disease. The PCVs currently available protect against up to 21 of the most common types of pneumococcal bacteria. Vaccines that protect against even more types are in development.
  • Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines (PPV). These contain just the outer sugary coat of the bacteria. Unfortunately, these vaccines don’t work well in children. But they’re sometimes given to older adults and certain people who have a high risk of infection. PPVs don’t stop vaccinated people from carrying the bacteria and passing it to others. 
Vaccination is the best way to protect against serious disease caused by pneumococcal bacteria.

If a pneumococcal vaccine is available as part of your country's national immunisation programme, the type of vaccine offered to children will be a PCV. The type of PCV offered will differ depending on which country you live in. The PCVs most commonly used across the world are PCV10, PCV13., PCV15 and PCV20.  The number at the end of each vaccine's name indicates how many serotypes it protects against. Before widespread availability of pneumococcal vaccines, the serotypes contained in PCV13 caused about 70% of serious pneumococcal disease cases in young children worldwide.2

Who can get pneumococcal vaccines?

The pneumococcal vaccine is recommended for all infants and people at higher risk of pneumococcal disease. The risk of pneumococcal disease is highest in children under two years of age.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that all countries include PCVs in their national childhood immunisation programmes.

To increase access, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, helps make effective, affordable pneumococcal vaccines available for children in developing countries. As of August 2024, 159 out of 194 WHO member states have introduced the vaccine in their national childhood immunisation programmes.3

Different schedules for pneumococcal vaccines are used globally. The WHO recommends the vaccine should be given according to one of the following schedules:4

  • 2+1 schedule: Two primary doses in babies under six months of age, plus a booster between nine to eighteen months of age.
  • 3+0 schedule: Three primary doses in children under nine months of age, with no booster during the first year of life.
Countries with their own vaccine specialists may use a different schedule. This is based on the amount and type of disease circulating in the country. For example, the UK currently recommends one primary dose of PCV in infancy and a booster at age one. Research shows that this likely offers similar protection to the 2+1 schedule.5
 
You can find out what pneumococcal vaccines are part of your country’s national immunisation programme and when the doses are recommended here:

WHO’s national immunisation schedule data portal

Some countries recommend that elderly people should also receive pneumococcal vaccines. In the UK, it’s recommended that adults receive a single dose of the PPV vaccine when they turn 65.

Vaccination is also recommended for people with certain health conditions that put them at higher risk of becoming seriously ill from pneumococcal infections. These include:
 
  • Having no spleen, or a spleen that doesn’t work properly.
  • Chronic respiratory disease.
  • Chronic heart, kidney or liver disease.
  • Diabetes.
  • Cochlear implants (with the highest risk being during the time of surgery).
  • Cerebrospinal fluid leaks.

Speak to your healthcare provider to find out if you’re eligible for pneumococcal vaccination because of a health condition.

Are pneumococcal vaccines safe?

Yes, pneumococcal vaccines are safe. The vaccines are carefully tested before they are licensed and introduced in routine immunisation programmes. Clinical trial data show that pneumococcal vaccines are safe and effective.6,7,8,9,10 Many countries, including the US and the UK, continue to track each vaccine’s safety and effectiveness. The WHO has also produced guidance to ensure the quality and safety of PCVs for use in young children.11

You may experience minor side effects following vaccination. These symptoms are usually mild and go away on their own within a few days.

Common side effects of pneumococcal vaccines include:

  • Pain, redness and swelling at the injection site.
  • Fever.
  • Loss of appetite.
  • Feeling tired (fatigue).
  • Headache.
  • Muscle aches or joint pain.
  • Fussiness and irritability in young children.

Why is it important to take up pneumococcal vaccines?

Most pneumococcal infections are mild. But the bacteria can cause serious, deadly disease. Pneumococcal infections caused over 315,000 deaths in children under five years of age in 2015.12 

Pneumococcal meningitis is one of the most life-threatening types of bacterial meningitis. In some countries it’s the most common form of bacterial meningitis. Around one third of survivors will be left with lifelong neurological disabilities. These can include as hearing loss, seizures and learning difficulties13. Prevention through vaccination is the safest way to protect you and your family.

Pneumococcal vaccines effectively prevent disease caused by pneumococcal bacteria. Research from many countries has shown they’ve successfully prevented cases of severe illness. It’s estimated that by 2024, routine childhood pneumococcal vaccines had saved over 1.6 million lives since their introduction in 2000.14 The vaccines have also reduced pneumococcal disease in unvaccinated older children and adults because PCVs reduce  the spread the bacteria in the community.

For years antibiotics have been used to treat pneumococcal infections, including pneumococcal meningitis. But the bacteria are finding new ways to resist antibiotics which makes infections difficult to treat. This is known as antimicrobial resistance. It is a growing challenge.

Pneumococcal vaccines prevent common infections caused by the bacteria. They include ear and sinus infections, which are usually treated with antibiotics. This helps reduce antibiotic use and the rise of antimicrobial resistance. A study in the USA showed that disease caused by penicillin-resistant types of pneumococcal bacteria dropped by 81% a few years after the introduction of PCV.15

Woman in an office speaking on the phone

Physical and emotional recovery from meningitis and its impact can be different for everyone. Support is available if meningitis has affected you or someone you know.

If you are in the UK or Ireland, the Meningitis Research Foundation Support Services team are ready to answer your questions.

If you are outside the UK and Ireland, our member network is the Confederation of Meningitis Organisations (CoMO). CoMO is dedicated to reducing the impact of meningitis globally, with members across the world. It is a great resource for finding support where you live.

Find a CoMO member in your country.

Frequently asked questions about pneumococcal vaccines

Why should people have pneumococcal vaccines?

Pneumococcal bacteria can cause a range of illnesses. These include serious invasive disease such as pneumonia, septic arthritis and meningitis. Pneumococcal meningitis is one of the most life-threatening types of bacterial meningitis. Babies and children younger than 2 years old are most at risk. It can cause lifelong disability, such as hearing loss, seizures and learning difficulties. In some cases, it can be fatal. The best way to help prevent serious pneumococcal disease, including meningitis, is to ensure that you and your loved ones get all your vaccinations.

How do pneumococcal vaccines work?

Pneumococcal vaccines work by introducing a harmless piece of the bacteria (called an antigen) into your body. This allows your immune system to recognise the bacteria and make protective antibodies against it. These antibodies then circulate in the bloodstream. If you come into contact with the bacteria you’ve been vaccinated against, the antibodies can destroy them before they can make you unwell.

At what age should people have their pneumococcal vaccines?

Pneumococcal vaccines are given to babies and toddlers in multiple doses. The WHO recommends that infants receive their vaccine according to one of the following schedules:

  • Two primary doses given before six months of age, plus a booster between nine to eighteen months of age.
  • Three primary doses administered before nine months of age.
But different countries use different schedules for pneumococcal vaccines. In the UK, babies are offered the vaccine at twelve weeks of age and a booster at twelve to thirteen months (usually given at the same time as the Hib/MenC, MMR and MenB vaccines).
 
Some countries also recommend that people aged over 65 receive a single pneumococcal vaccination.
 
You can check your country’s immunisation schedule at the WHO’s immunisation data portal.

How effective are pneumococcal vaccines?

Pneumococcal vaccines are effective in preventing pneumococcal disease including pneumococcal meningitis, pneumonia, and severe ear infections. But effectiveness varies with age, time since vaccination, type of vaccine and other factors such as underlying health conditions.

In children, PCV13 is over 93% effective in protecting against the types invasive pneumococcal disease covered by the vaccine within one year of receiving their booster dose.16

In adults aged over 65, PPV23 is 60–70% effective against invasive pneumococcal disease. But the effectiveness of the vaccine wears off faster in people with certain underlying illnesses.17

No vaccine is 100% effective. So it’s important to know the symptoms of pneumococcal meningitis, even if you’ve been vaccinated. 

Can pneumococcal vaccines give you meningitis?

No, pneumococcal vaccines are not live vaccines. This means that they cannot cause pneumococcal meningitis. They contain antigens (harmless pieces of bacteria). These trigger your body’s immune system. They cause it to produce antibodies that attack and kill any live bacteria that enter the body.

How do I find out what pneumococcal vaccines are available in my country?

You can find out what pneumococcal vaccines are available in your country, and which age groups are eligible for vaccination, by checking your country’s immunisation schedule here:

WHO Immunization Data Portal.

In the UK and Ireland, two types of vaccines are given to protect against pneumococcal bacteria:

  • PCV13. This is usually given to children under two years old. It protects against thirteen common types of pneumococcal bacteria.

  • PPV23. This is usually given to adults aged 65 and over and to people at a higher risk of infection. It protects against 23 types of pneumococcal bacteria.

Read more in our factsheet about pneumococcal vaccination in the UK.

A.
  1. Shattock, A. J., Johnson, H. C., Sim, S. Y., Carter, A., Lambach, P., Hutubessy, R. C. W., Thompson, K. M., Badizadegan, K., Lambert, B., Ferrari, M. J., Jit, M., Fu, H., Silal, S. P., Hounsell, R. A., White, R. G., Mosser, J. F., Gaythorpe, K. A. M., Trotter, C. L., Lindstrand, A., O'Brien, K. L., … Bar-Zeev, N. (2024). Contribution of vaccination to improved survival and health: modelling 50 years of the Expanded Programme on Immunization. Lancet (London, England), 403(10441), 2307–2316. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00850-X
  2. Johnson, H. L., Deloria-Knoll, M., Levine, O. S., Stoszek, S. K., Freimanis Hance, L., Reithinger, R., Muenz, L. R., & O'Brien, K. L. (2010). Systematic evaluation of serotypes causing invasive pneumococcal disease among children under five: the pneumococcal global serotype project. PLoS medicine, 7(10), e1000348. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000348
  3. International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. VIEW-hub. www.view-hub.org. Accessed: 21/08/2024.
  4. WHO position paper: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in infants and children under 5 years of age.  Available from Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines: WHO position paper
  5. Goldblatt, D., Southern, J., Andrews, N. J., Burbidge, P., Partington, J., Roalfe, L., Valente Pinto, M., Thalasselis, V., Plested, E., Richardson, H., Snape, M. D., & Miller, E. (2018). Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine 13 delivered as one primary and one booster dose (1 + 1) compared with two primary doses and a booster (2 + 1) in UK infants: a multicentre, parallel group randomised controlled trial. The Lancet. Infectious diseases, 18(2), 171–179. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(17)30654-0
  6. Bryant, K. A., Block, S. L., Baker, S. A., Gruber, W. C., Scott, D. A., & PCV13 Infant Study Group (2010). Safety and immunogenicity of a 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Pediatrics, 125(5), 866–875. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2009-1405
  7. Adigweme, I., Futa, A., Saidy-Jah, E., Edem, B., Akpalu, E., Dibbasey, T., Sethna, V., Dhere, R., Kampmann, B., Bengt, C., Sirr, J., Hosken, N., Goldblatt, D., Antony, K., Alderson, M. R., Lamola, S., & Clarke, E. (2023). Immunogenicity and safety of a 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine administered as a 2 + 1 schedule to healthy infants in The Gambia: a single-centre, double-blind, active-controlled, randomised, phase 3 trial. The Lancet. Infectious diseases, 23(5), 609–620. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(22)00734-4
  8. van den Bergh, M. R., Spijkerman, J., François, N., Swinnen, K., Borys, D., Schuerman, L., Veenhoven, R. H., & Sanders, E. A. (2011). Immunogenicity, safety, and reactogenicity of the 10-valent pneumococcal nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine and DTPa-IPV-Hib when coadministered as a 3-dose primary vaccination schedule in The Netherlands: a randomized controlled trial. The Pediatric infectious disease journal, 30(9), e170–e178. https://doi.org/10.1097/INF.0b013e31821a0614
  9. ACIP Updates: Recommendations for Use of 20-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine in Children ― United States, 2023. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2023;72:1072. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7239a5
  10. CDC Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report. Use of 21-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Among U.S. Adults: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — United States, 2024.  Available from Use of 21-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Among U.S. Adults: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — United States, 2024 | MMWR (cdc.gov)
  11. Recommendations to assure the quality, safety and efficacy of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, Annex 3, TRS No 977.  Available from https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/pneumococcal-conjugate-vaccines-annex3-trs-977
  12. Wahl B, et al. Burden of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b disease in children in the era of conjugate vaccines: global, regional, and national estimates for 2000-15. Lancet Global Health. 2018;6(7):e744–57. 
  13. Edmond K., Clark A., Korczak V.S., Sanderson C., Griffiths U.K., Rudan I. Global and regional risk of disabling sequelae from bacterial meningitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Infect Dis. 2010; 10(5):317-28. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(10)70048-7. 
  14. Shattock, A. J., Johnson, H. C., Sim, S. Y., Carter, A., Lambach, P., Hutubessy, R. C. W., Thompson, K. M., Badizadegan, K., Lambert, B., Ferrari, M. J., Jit, M., Fu, H., Silal, S. P., Hounsell, R. A., White, R. G., Mosser, J. F., Gaythorpe, K. A. M., Trotter, C. L., Lindstrand, A., O'Brien, K. L., … Bar-Zeev, N. (2024). Contribution of vaccination to improved survival and health: modelling 50 years of the Expanded Programme on Immunization. Lancet (London, England), 403(10441), 2307–2316. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00850-X
  15. Kyaw MH, et al. Effect of introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae. N Engl J Med. 2006;354:1455–63.
  16. Savulescu, C., Krizova, P., Valentiner-Branth, P., Ladhani, S., Rinta-Kokko, H., Levy, C., Mereckiene, J., Knol, M., Winje, B. A., Ciruela, P., de Miguel, S., Guevara, M., MacDonald, L., Kozakova, J., Slotved, H. C., Fry, N. K., Pekka Nuorti, J., Danis, K., Corcoran, M., van der Ende, A., … SpIDnet VE study group (2022). Effectiveness of 10 and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines against invasive pneumococcal disease in European children: SpIDnet observational multicentre study. Vaccine, 40(29), 3963–3974. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.05.011
  17. CDC About Pneumococcal Vaccines: For Providers, 2024.  Available from https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/pneumo/hcp/about-vaccine.html
Author: Meningitis Research Foundation.
Reviewed by: Hajime Takeuchi, CoMO member.
Published: 7 April 2025.

Meningitis in your words: real-life stories

Meningitis affects millions of people, in all regions of the world. Through the bravery of sharing personal stories, we bring together people from every region of the world to support one another, so they are empowered to live a life beyond meningitis.
Arthur Kilcran
Type - Pneumococcal
Age group - Baby 0-1
Outcome - Recovery with after effects

"She's gorgeous and we're immensely glad we still have her here with us."
Meningitis in your words
Percilla Ann Marie April-Hodge
Type - Pneumococcal
Age group - Adult
Outcome - Bereavement

"Percilla had a major headache. She thought it was a migraine."
Meningitis in your words
Connor Tomlinson
Type - Pneumococcal
Age group - Baby (0-1)
Outcome - Recovery with after effects

"We didn't realise how poorly he was until some time after."
Meningitis in your words