The following summarizes CDC's current age- and risk-based pneumococcal vaccine recommendations. Access the official, full text of CDC's current and historical pneumococcal vaccine recommendations. A pneumococcal conjugate vaccine , or PCV , is the vaccine of choice against pneumococcal diseases, such as pneumonia, meningitis, and some blood infections. But what is it, exactly, and why do children and adults alike need it? Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine is a vaccine which helps develop immunity by initiating a mild infection. This type of infection does not cause illness but stimulates the body's immune system to produce antibodies (proteins) to protect against any future infections. Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines can protect children from Streptococcus pneumoniae, which is the most common cause of severe bacterial pneumonia among children.
