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Pneumonia can affect people of any age¹. However, many factors can put adults at increased risk of pneumococcal infections, including pneumococcal pneumonia, making them potential candidates for private vaccination^1,4-13.

Those who might be at increased risk include:

• Aged>45 years: The risk of contracting pneumococcal pneumonia increases from the age of 45 onwards^4,5.
• Smoking: Smokers are 4.4 times* more likely to develop pneumonia than someone who has never smoked⁶.
• Exposure to lots of people in close contact⁷: This could include the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. For example, a 2.7 fold increase in nasal carriage rate of Streptococcus pneumoniae was reported in pilgrims returning from Hajj in 2012⁸.
• Travelling: Many of the world’s most popular tourist destinations⁹, including South Asia and parts of Africa are also home to higher levels of pneumococcal infections¹⁰. Some countries, like China and Thailand, do not routinely immunise against pneumococcal disease¹¹.
• Those who have already had pneumonia : People who have had pneumonia in the past are twice as likely to get pneumonia again compared with people who have never had pneumonia¹².
• Those with a flu infection: During a flu infection, and for up to one week after, you are around 100 times more likely to develop pneumococcal pneumonia¹³.
• Chronic conditions including respiratory disease, heart disease, diabetes, liver disease, kidney disease^3,6 and asthma⁶:
  • The increased likelihood of developing pneumococcal pneumonia compared to a healthy person⁶:
    • Chronic Heart Disease: up to 4.2 times* 
    • Chronic Respiratory Disease: up to 9.8 times*
    • Diabetes: up to 3 times*
    • Chronic Liver Disease: up to 5.8 times*
    • Chronic Renal Failure: up to 4.2 times*
    • Asthma: up to 4.9 times*  

*Risk data above is for people aged 50-64. People aged 18-49 had lower risk ratios and people 65 years and older had higher ratios.