Zoster and Pneumococcal Vaccines May Be Given Concomitantly
Zoster and Pneumococcal Vaccines May Be Given Concomitantly News Author: Laurie Barclay, MD CME Author: Charles P. Vega, MD Giving pneumococcal and herpes zoster vaccines to patients during the same visit may be beneficial without compromising the protective effect of the zoster vaccine, according to the results of an observational study reported in the May 9 issue of Vaccine . These findings challenge information in a 2009 revision to the zoster vaccine package insert stating that the zoster vaccine and the pneumococcal vaccine should not be given concurrently because concomitant use resulted in reduced immunogenicity of the zoster vaccine. "Our study found no evidence that receiving the zoster vaccine and pneumococcal vaccine on the same day would compromise the immune response necessary to protect against herpes zoster, also known as shingles," said lead author Hung Fu Tseng, PhD, MPH, from the Kaiser Permanente Department of Research & Evaluation in Pasad...