Pneumonia Jab

In Australia it is recommended to have the pneumonia vaccination when you turn 65 it is free and was at the time considered to be a one only. However, I have just received a letter from my doctor saying the Government protocol has changed and they now say people over 70 should have a booster. I'm off to have mine on Tuesday. Both are free as is the shingles vaccination if you are in your 70's.

I asked the surgery for one for us both earlier this year as my husband was going in for surgery and I thought he should have as much protection as possible. We were both fine after it.

My granddaughter's fiancé who's only 23 has recently been very ill with pneumonia which then turned into pericarditis - he's still not fully recovered.

Marydoll, sorry to hear you have been feeling rough since having flu jab.
hope it will soon pass. the cost benefit analysis is still in credit !
does anyone know, is there any disadvantage to having too many vaccines; i mean i am thinking of paying to have pneumococcus, and shingles.
i've had flu jab last week.
if i was then offered them a few years later by GP would it matter if i accepted those as well.
i've seen a bad case of shingles close up, and keen to avoid. as for pneumonia, well...
and i know these vaccines can never cover them all anyway.
but i remember reading about edward jenner as a child, and his experiments with cowpox to protect against smallpox. wonderful observations. and so brave to try. what a marvellous discovery. he was one of my heroes.

Managed to get them both on the same day last October. One in each arm with no real problems. Flu jab on Tuesday at G P surgery. We are very lucky to be getting this service.

I was offered one about 15 years ago with my annual flu jab, as I'm a chronic asthmatic.
I had no hesitation in accepting.
No side effects at all.
At sixty five, I keep meaning to ask my GP is I need a top up, but it's a bit difficult to actually speak to one at the moment!!

However, I had my flu jab this week and I have felt awful ever since. I rarely get side effects from it, but I suspect my compromised immune system is the cause this time.
It won't stop me getting it again next year.

Thank you everyone .

I had the pneumonia vaccine ages ago. I was told at the time it lasted ten years. I shall have to check my vaccine list to see when it is due again. Thank you for the reminder.

EllanVannin

I had mine years ago---no ill effects, though I did understand at the time that a booster was given 10 years on but nobody seems to have known about that, unless I was dreaming

I had my pnuemonia jab several years back. Have my flu vaccine each year. My daughter had pneumonia jab when she was much younger as she does not have her spleen (removed when she was 20 yrs old.). She needs to have it re-done every ten years - but for us oldies it is a once only jab.

Maybe it’s 65 for flu and 7o for pneumonia I don’t think it was longer than 5 years ago that I had it annapops
I wonder why it’s not as strong I would have expected them to be the same strange isn’t it

"BlueBelle", we only paid for pneumonia jab and received the flu vaccine free. On the NHS website it says NHS pneumonia vaccine is free to over 65's so we both should qualify, only we were so fed up waiting to hear from our surgery that we decided to go ahead with the Boots one. You can have both so when we eventually hear from our surgery we will go ahead with that one too for greater protection. As DH should have had his pneumonia jab 3 years ago I am now beginning to wonder if the free one is just for over 70's.

I had mine some years ago (at age 65) with no problems then or since. According to the NHS website, it's a "one-off" vaccine for most people, but people with certain conditions can have it every every five years. See:
www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/pneumococcal-vaccination/

I had both pneumonia and shingles Jab when I was offered them at age 70 Five years ago had no ill effects and didn’t expect any
Had my flu jab today have never had any after effects and not expecting any today I didn’t even feel the needle go in
Annapops If you are over 65 you shouldn’t have had to pay for the Flu jab at the chemist ...maybe 70 for the pneumonia one I m not sure

DH had a pneumonia jab a year or so ago, presumably because he had had pneumonia that year, our flu jabs are next weekend, our Surgery has booked Village Halls around the area on various Saturdays in October .

My DH and I paid to have the pneumonia jab at Boots last week as we were fed up waiting to hear from our surgery. DH should have had the vaccine 3 years ago and has never been contacted by them. Whenever I inquired I was told they were waiting to receive stocks. If, and when the surgery do get in touch we will go ahead with the NHS one too as it protects against more strains. I'll do anything I can this year to safeguard our health.
The only after effect for us has been a slightly sore arm which is a small price to pay.

Was given this whilst on a GP appointment years ago.

I am unclear as to whether it should be repeated after ten years... Must check it out!

I had no ill effects after having it, so do go ahead - it can only be a beneficial thing.

I had the pneumonia jab a couple of weeks ago, a week after the flu jab. Made my arm sore and stiff, so sleeping was bad for one night. Apart from that, no side effects.

I had pneumonia last year in January and was given the pneumonia jab in August.
I was advised I’ll need a further jab every 5years (I’m 62).
I had no after effects.

My advice is ... do it.

As BlueSky said, there are two types of pneumonia. I had the jab and then got pneumonia a year later!

As Hetty said we should all be at lower risk of catching flu this year because of all the precautions we are already taking for Covid, even the normal cold! Weirdly enough my late MIL who used to live with us and was virtually house bound, she would occasionally still get a cold while we didn’t have it! A real mystery were that was coming from!

I had my flu and pneumonia jab mid September. Separate arms. Pneumonia arm discomfort for 4days flu arm 1day. No other side effects. Someone said if you have fat arms you won’t feel discomfort so much - I have skinny arms. Husband didn’t have any aches in his arms but his are “chunky”. Some folk being charged £70 for the pneumonia inj. I would take it when offered. I tried all last winter at my surgery but they were unable to source it.

Yes Bluesky, but i figured it seemed like the covid virus was affecting the lungs, which then could turn to pneumonia also- so we would all be a bit better protected already if we got the pneumo jab too.

Also had to pay for 17 year olds flu jab in Boots as he 'could have' waited& got it free in GP surgery- even though he's got exactly same neuro condition as his brother who was allowed it for free- plus his own respiratory condition! But i paid up because our docs surgery never seem to get flu jab till late oct/early november.

Thats what my son thought too Hetty- so he wore TWO masks together, at once- all day in college, and gloves when used keyboards, and washed hands& gelled them after& in between- all day -He couldnt have been more careful.(he never goes anywhere else& has only been out ONCE (to get haircut, on day barber opened) since march- but first week back in college he still caught this other bug! Which made him very ill.(not covid- we had the test!) But his consultant is convinced he got it in college.despite him being 'extra careful' But still theyre forcing him to return?No wonder its spreading!

I probably had one last year - I was in hospital with Pneumonia.

I asked at GP's about this- as we in our house all have certain medical conditions- especially youngest son(17) but was refused it- i paid £70 each for myself & elder son (21) to have it in pharmacy- though it only covers 13 strains of pneumococus- whereas vaccine at drs surgery covers 23- we had very sore arm for days after (in fact mine still occasionally hurts) but i think its because im on warfarin& i had it not intramuscularly like my sons did!) So pharmacy informed me! Yes i was told its a one-off jab, but at 57 i might want a 'top-up' in 10 yrs time.My younger son had to have his at GP surgery as hes under 18- but i practically had to beg for this, and in end i got his neuro consultant& paediatrician (she hadnt signed him off yet) to get involved to recommend he had it! He was a bit sick& ill for a few days after but consultant said that was probably a different bug he'd already picked up at college! We all had flu jab ten days after that& he was fine.(elder son had pneumonia &flu jab both at same time(one in each arm) & was ok- after a few days of his arm being very sore on pneumonia side. I had mine back end August but for a couple of wks was feeling very hot on/off too but apparently its normal.