Useful PREVNAR 20® resources
Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) can have potentially serious effects in babies. Learn what you can do to help protect your baby.
Conversation Starter Guide
Your baby’s doctor is there to help you, but you know your baby best. The doctor wants to hear your questions and thoughts about IPD, so you can continue to be your baby’s best supporter.
Create a personalized discussion guide in 3 easy steps
Start the conversation with your baby’s doctor to make the most of your next visit. Follow 3 steps to create a discussion guide with the questions that are most important to you about IPD and vaccinations.
PREVNAR 20 is a vaccine that helps protect your baby against 20 of the most common strains of pneumococcal bacteria that cause IPD.
When complete, email or download your personalized discussion guide and bring it to your next appointment with your baby’s doctor.
Click “Start” to begin selecting questions most important to you about IPD and PREVNAR 20.
Frequently Asked Questions
Thanks to vaccines, widespread diseases, including smallpox, polio, diphtheria, measles, mumps, and rubella, are much less common now. But deadly diseases do still exist. Vaccines are one of the best ways to keep your baby healthy and help protect them from diseases.
Children under 2 years old are at a higher risk for getting certain vaccine-preventable diseases because their immune systems aren’t fully developed. For vaccines to continue to help protect children, children have to be vaccinated. As a caregiver, that’s where you come in.
Although you may not have heard of IPD, it can be potentially serious. The bacteria that cause IPD can spread through cough or direct contact when they are on toys or objects. In serious cases, IPD can include meningitis, which may lead to brain damage or even death.
The bacteria that cause IPD are most commonly found in children under 5 years old. IPD can spread through the air by cough or by contact with contaminated objects like toys. While anyone can be susceptible, the risk of being infected may be twice as high for children who go to day care.
Vaccination can help protect your baby. While IPD can be potentially serious in babies and young children, PREVNAR 20 can help reduce this risk.
Take a look at your baby’s vaccination record/card. You’ll see “PCV”, “Pneumococcal conjugate”, or “Pneumococcal” if your baby has gotten this vaccine. If you can’t tell, or you’re not sure, check with your baby’s doctor to make sure your baby’s shots are up to date. Learn more.
PREVNAR 20 is a vaccine approved for the prevention of invasive disease caused by 20 strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae for individuals 6 weeks and older. It is also approved for the prevention of otitis media (middle ear infection) caused by 7 of the 20 strains for individuals 6 weeks through 5 years. PREVNAR 20 is not 100% effective and will only help protect against the 20 strains included in the vaccine.
PREVNAR 20 should be given as a complete 4-dose series at 2, 4, 6, and 12-15 months old to help protect your baby against IPD caused by the 20 strains covered by the vaccine during your baby's period of greater risk. Skipping or delaying vaccines can put your baby at higher risk.
If you delay a dose, or if your baby receives fewer than 4 doses, your baby's immune system may have a lower response. This leaves your baby with less protection than if they had all 4 doses. Learn more.
The purpose of the immunization schedule is to help protect children. This schedule is based on when a vaccine will work best to boost your baby’s immune system. Young infants have the capacity to respond to multiple vaccines. Not only will the vaccines not overwhelm your baby’s system, they’ll actually help strengthen it.
Here are some things you can do during your visit. Ask if you can hold your baby on your lap, then gently rub your baby’s back during the vaccination. Distract and comfort your baby by cuddling, singing, or talking softly. Smile and make eye contact to reassure your baby that everything’s okay. Have your baby hold a favorite toy or blanket. And ask if you can expect any side effects following your baby’s vaccination(s) and what you should do if you notice any.
Vaccines for your child, such as PREVNAR 20, are considered a preventive care
service and may be available at no charge. The Affordable Care Act (ACA)* requires new health insurance plans to cover preventive services without charging a deductible, copayment, or coinsurance when provided by an in-network provider. If you have no insurance, or are eligible for Medicaid, you still have options to receive all 4 doses of the PREVNAR 20 vaccine for free.
preventive care: Medical care that helps prevent or detect diseases or problems.
Yes. The Vaccines for Children (VFC)* program may be able to help. The VFC program is a federally funded program that provides vaccines at no cost to children who might not otherwise be vaccinated because of inability to pay. While there is no charge for the vaccines, there may be other costs such as payment for the visit or other services.
No. PREVNAR 20 is an inactivated (killed) vaccine. This means that PREVNAR 20 will not cause IPD in your baby because it contains only parts of the bacteria’s (pneumococcus) coating.
No. According to the CDC, young infants have a capacity to respond to multiple vaccines. Vaccines can help prevent the immune system from being weakened by various types of infections.
Check with your baby’s doctor to figure out the best way to catch up.
Additional resources
If you’re looking for trusted sources to learn more about IPD or vaccines, check out the links below.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the U.S. national public health agency. You can find information on vaccines on their website.
cdc.gov/vaccines*
Learn about a wide range of topics related to children’s health from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
Healthychildren.org**These websites are neither owned nor controlled by Pfizer. Pfizer does not endorse and is not responsible for the content or services of these sites.
HomeINDICATIONS AND IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
INDICATIONS FOR PREVNAR 20®
Prevnar 20 is a vaccine approved for:
- the prevention of invasive disease caused by 20 Streptococcus pneumoniae strains (1, 3, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 7F, 8, 9V, 10A, 11A, 12F, 14, 15B, 18C, 19A, 19F, 22F, 23F, and 33F) in individuals 6 weeks and older.
- the prevention of otitis media (middle ear infection) caused by 7 of the 20 strains in individuals 6 weeks through 5 years.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION FOR PREVNAR 20
-
Prevnar 20 should not be given to anyone who has had a severe allergic reaction to any component of Prevnar 20 or to diphtheria toxoid. - Individuals with weakened immune systems may have a lower immune response. Safety data are not available for these groups.
- A temporary pause in breathing after getting the vaccine has been observed in some infants who
were born prematurely. For premature infants, talk to your healthcare provider about the infant's medical status when deciding to get vaccinated with
Prevnar 20 . - In individuals 2, 4, 6, and 12 through 15 months of age vaccinated with a 4-dose schedule, the most common side effects reported at a rate of >10% were irritability, pain at the injection site, drowsiness, decreased appetite, injection site redness, injection site swelling, and fever.
- In individuals 15 months through 17 years of age vaccinated with a single dose, the most common side effects reported at a rate of >10% were irritability, pain at the injection site, drowsiness, fatigue, muscle pain, decreased appetite, injection site swelling, injection site redness, headache, and fever.
- Ask your healthcare provider about the risks and benefits of
Prevnar 20 .
Please click here for full Prescribing Information for
Patients should always ask their healthcare providers for medical advice about adverse events. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of vaccines to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Visit http://www.vaers.hhs.gov or call 1-800-822-7967.
This site is intended only for U.S. residents. The products discussed in this site may have different product labeling in different countries. The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace discussions with a healthcare provider.
INDICATIONS AND IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
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