Pneumonia vaccine - is it only needed once?

Had it a few years ago when I had a flu jab. The nurse said it lasted 10 years . I’ve read it offers some protection against the lung problems connected with Covid.

I had my pneumoia jab yesterday so was interested to read these posts today. I was aware that i was entitled to one until after BP check the nurse noticed i hadnt had it done. So happy to get it as recently one of my closest friends had pneumonia. We were so worried it was Covid, but thankfully it wasnt. She was very poorly for several weeks. She had had the jab as well so i dred to think how she would have been without it. I will be in the queue for my flu jab when they are available too. I am annoyed with my husband who has COPD who refuses to have the PJ though as he would be high risk if he caught it.

I was told you only have a tetenus jab if you actually present with a bad cut or similar I had mine last about 20 years ago when I put a rake through my foot

Scribbles thankyou.

Megs, the vaccination is against the common forms of bacterial pneumonia. It won't prevent you from contracting pneumonia through a virus which is probably what happened to your husband. Hope he's feeling better now.

We had the jab ages ago and were told as other posters we would only have one,, however my husband has had pneumonia twice since, once in March at start of lockdown, very scary, but almost a relief it wasn’t Corona, he has COPD and had lung cancer four years ago.so very vulnerable and took weeks to shake off the infection, are there different strains of pneumonia I wonder?

Largolass I had the jab when I was 65 and told it was a once off injection I had the flu jab at the same time and had the most horrible reaction I was so poorly for 2/3 weeks and couldn't get out of bed it was like having a really nasty case of pheumonia

Scribbles I was relieved to read your second post as I'd been trying to find out how that works

Thank goodness for this thread, it's a reminder that I'm due to go for mine soon and to ask if I'll need it again in 5 years.

Thank you Franbern

My daughter whose spleen was removed some thirty yhears ago due to an auto-immune illness, has now had this injection again. Seems the problem lay with a nurse at her GP practice, who decided to remove from my daughters notes the requirement for this to be given every five years. It always was and they used to call her in for it.
Saw her GP, who has now put it back into her notes.
My daughter works in NHS (Mental Health), and for the past couple of months has had to work totally from home, due to being sent a Shielding Letter. She has now returned for a couple of days each week to her office - and is much happier.
She is on continuous daily low level anti-biotics, but does feel aggrieved that such an important piece of information in her notes was taken out by a Nurse (or Health Care worker) at the surgery - obviously, without that person having the full and correct information.

I just spotted the autocorrect howler in my post of yesterday. To clarify: my pneumonia vaccination was a one-time thing. The NHS has not yet found a way of doing 'em via the web!

A few years ago, I was told that tetanus shots should be repeated every 10 years then, 2 years ago, I asked about getting mine redone as the ten years were up and now the practice is to repeat every 10 years up to a maximum of five times in a lifetime. I worked out that I'd previously had it four times so the nurse administered my final dose.

So, if I live to be 125 and cut myself on a dozen rusty tins, I should be protected!

I have just had mine and told it was a one off. DH does not have a spleen and he has one every 5 years.

Thank you Puzzler61

I'm in Scotland and it's every 10 years according to my surgery

Same with the tetanus jab. It used to be every 10 years, when I had my one and only aged 66, I was told it won't need to be done again!

Sorry to hear of your horrendous experience Largolass
Thank goodness it didn’t happen while you were on holiday.

I was told it was a once in a lifetime I think I had it at 70 ( not sure) so I ll ask again after 10 years

I wonder if it’s one of those cases of following a separate set of guidelines in different health regions?

Presuming some of you grans are in Scotland, are you?

I was given the vaccine nearly 10 years ago and told I could have another when 10 years was up.

A couple of years after I had my pneumonia vaccine I was rushed into hospital after returning home from a holiday in Istanbul and spent two weeks on intravenous antibiotics and oxygen.

I had pneumonia the year after I had the jab. I think there are two different types of pneumonia so I must have had the one that the jab doesn't cover.

I do not normally nap during the day but all I could do was get up in the morning, have a shower, clean pajamas and go back to bed and sleep.

I have asthma and diabetes so qualify for the pneumonia vaccination. Under 65 years old. I was told it lasts 10 years.

Had one very recently at my GP practice, the nurse said it was a once-only injection (and I have asthma so underlying condition).

This is from the NHS website,

People aged 65 and over only need a single pneumococcal vaccination. This vaccine is not given annually like the flu jab.

People with a long-term health condition may need just a single one-off pneumococcal vaccination or vaccination every 5 years, depending on their underlying health problem.

We understood it to last 10 years.

I had one shortly after I was 65 and was told it was a online-only thing.

I had mine a few years ago and I was told it was a once only jab.