The epidemiologic and biologic basis for classifying older age as a high-risk, immunocompromising condition for pneumococcal vaccine policy

Epidemiologic and biologic evidence suggest that pneumococcal disease risk increases with age and is comparable for healthy older adults and younger adults with immunocompromising conditions. Because immunocompromising conditions are already indicated for pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs), a comprehensive public health strategy would also recognize immunosenescence. Moreover, older persons should be vaccinated before reaching the highest risk ages, consistent with the approach for other immunocompromising conditions. To facilitate PCV use among older adults, vaccine technical committees (VTCs) could classify older age as an immunocompromising condition based on the process of immunosenescence. With global aging, VTCs will need to consider immunosenescence and vaccine use during healthy aging.