Pneumococcal vaccines made free for high-risk Taiwanese aged 19-64

Taipei, Feb. 28 (CNA) Pneumococcal vaccines will be available for free to Taiwanese aged 19-64 who are at high risk for invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) from March 10, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced Friday.

High-risk foreigners enrolled in Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) program are also eligible to receive the vaccines, the CDC said.

Free vaccines are already available to all aged 65 and above.

According to the CDC, people deemed at high risk of IPD include those with spleen disorders, individuals with congenital or acquired immunodeficiency, people who have received cochlear implants and those suffering cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea.

Additionally, organ transplant recipients as well as anyone who has taken immunosuppressive drugs or received radiation therapy for cancerous tumors within the last year are also considered high risk.

Beginning March 10, high-risk individuals aged 19-64 will be allocated one dose of PCV13, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for 13 types of pneumococcal bacteria, and a dose of PPV23, a pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine for 23 serotypes of streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria, the CDC said.

High-risk individuals getting both vaccines for the first time must wait at least eight weeks between their PCV13 and PPV23 doses, according to the CDC.

High-risk individuals who have previously received a PCV13 or PCV15 (15-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine) can get a free dose of PPV23, provided they received the PCV13 or PCV15 at least eight weeks ago.

Meanwhile, those considered high-risk who have gotten a PPV23 dose but no doses of PCV15 or PCV13 are eligible for a free PCV13 vaccine if they received their PPV23 jab over a year ago.

The CDC said that people who have previously received a PCV13 or PCV15 jab and a PPV23 jab do not need any additional vaccine doses to maintain immunity from IPD.

Speaking with CNA, CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-huai (曾淑慧) said the decision to fund the vaccines for high-risk groups aged 19-64 was made at the behest of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

Around 250,000 people in this age group will be eligible for the free vaccine program, Tseng said.

Information on where to receive the vaccinations is available on the websites of all local health bureaus, the CDC said.