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Pneumonia-related morbidity and mortality are high among nursing home residents, and Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common pathogen. Although the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine is recommended for people at high-risk, its efficacy is unproven in nursing home residents, who often do not receive this vaccine. In this randomized placebo-controlled trial, investigators evaluated the efficacy of the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine in 1006 nursing home residents in Japan.
Overall, 13% of nursing home residents who received vaccine and 21% of residents who received placebo developed pneumonia. Pneumococcal pneumonia was diagnosed in significantly more placebo recipients than vaccine recipients (7% vs. 3%), mostly t…