What is the pneumococcal pneumonia shot?
The pneumococcal pneumonia shot protects against a kind of bacteria that commonly causes pneumonia. Pneumonia is a term for several diseases that cause inflammation or infection of the lungs. A bacterium named Streptococcus pneumoniae causes the type of pneumonia called pneumococcal pneumonia (also called streptococcal pneumonia). The bacteria can also cause bacteremia (blood infection), meningitis (infection of the covering of the brain and spinal cord), and other infections.
