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New vaccine: SUS will offer immunization against pneumonia for people over 85 years old; see the disease's lethality ratePhoto by Pexels on Pexels
Science
Medicine

New vaccine: SUS will offer immunization against pneumonia for people over 85 years old; see the disease's lethality rate

oglobo15 September 2026 at 13:22

The Ministry of Health made the 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (pneumo 20) available for the first time in the Unified Health System (SUS) for people 85 years old or older. The immunizer protects against pneumococcal disease and its severe forms, such as meningitis and pneumonia.

Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death among the elderly, and the elevated risk for people over 85 years old is related to aging mechanisms themselves. The main factors are the natural process of immune system weakening and the higher frequency of comorbidities in this age group.

According to data from the Ministry of Health, the mortality rate from pneumonia among people over 85 years old was 758.1 elderly deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024, and 743.1 per 100,000 in 2025.

The pneumo 20 had been incorporated into the National Vaccination Calendar in June of this year for children under 5 years old. The vaccine expands protection against 20 serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae, a bacterium identified as the most common cause of respiratory infections.

Why this matters

Residents in Brazil who are 85 years old or older now have free access to a vaccine that offers expanded protection against pneumonia and other serious diseases caused by pneumococcus. The inclusion of this age group in the SUS vaccination program aims to reduce the high mortality rate from pneumonia in this population, which has already exceeded 758 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. The measure complements the previous offer of the same vaccine for children, expanding the vaccination coverage of the public health system.

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This is our short summary of a report published by oglobo on 15 September 2026 at 13:22; the full text stays with the publisher. In our feed it sits under Science. We currently carry 4688 items in that section.

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