THURSDAY, Oct. 24, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- The recommended first age at which Americans should get the pneumococcal vaccine has been lowered from 65 to 50, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday.

"Lowering the age for pneumococcal vaccination gives more adults the opportunity to protect themselves from pneumococcal disease at the age when risk of infection substantially increases," CDC director Dr. Mandy Cohen said in an agency statement.

"Pneumococcal bacteria can cause serious illnesses, including pneumonia, meningitis, and bloodstream infections, and older adults are at increased risk for pneumococcal disease," she explained.

Earlier yesterday, the CDC advisory panel had previously voted 14 to 1 to lower the vaccination age, and Cohen approved the move soon after.

Prior recommendations had advised the pneumococcal shot for two vulnerable age groups: children under the age of 5 and seniors age 65 and older. People of other ages with certain health conditions are also advised to get the shot.

Pneumococcal disease is caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae and related forms of pneumococci bacteria.

"Over 150,000 hospitalizations from pneumococcal pneumonia are estimated to occur annually in the United States and it has been demonstrated to complicate influenza infection," according to the CDC.

"Pneumococci is the most common bacterial cause of childhood pneumonia, especially in children younger than age 5 years," the agency noted. "In adults, pneumococci account for 10% to 30% of adult community-acquired pneumonia."

The very first pneumococcal vaccine was licensed in the United States in 1977.

According to the Associated Press, there are four types of pneumococcal vaccine available to Americans, including Capvaxive, made by Merck, which can cost around $300 a dose and protects against 21 types of pneumococci, eight more than other vaccines.

The CDC advisory panel noted that pneumococcal illness tends to appear earlier in Black Americans -- between 55 and 59 years of age -- compared to whites. That was part of the experts' reasoning that the age of first vaccination should be lowered, the AP reported.

It's possible that booster shots of the vaccine may be required about 15 years after the first shot.

More information

Find out more about pneumococcal disease at the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

SOURCES: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, statement, Oct. 23, 2024; Associated Press