Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Korea has emphasized the importance of pneumococcal vaccination, especially for menopausal women, at a recent "Vxpert” (Vaccine + Expert) webinar.

Pfizer Korea designed the event to highlight the risk of infectious diseases caused by reduced immunity in menopausal women and share the need to improve vaccination and awareness, especially due to the risk of pneumococcal infection.

Professor Lee Sara of obstetrics and gynecology at Asan Medical Center explained the importance of preventing diseases through pneumococcal vaccination and the risk of developing pneumococcal infections in female patients with menopause.

According to a vaccination schedule released by the Korean Menopause Society in April, people aged 40-64 are advised to receive the 13-protein-conjugated vaccine and the 23-polysaccharide vaccine sequentially at intervals of one year and get re-vaccinated with the 23 polysaccharide vaccine after the age of 65.

Menopausal women are at high risk of developing infectious diseases and invasive diseases, and pneumonia, requiring special attention. As a second-class statutory infection, pneumococcal infectious diseases should be reported and undergo isolation within 24 hours to prevent transmission, as the incidence and fatality of the disease increase significantly from the age of 50, various data show.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the cumulative incidence of pneumococcal infections in the country has risen about 2.3 times in the last five years. Therefore, the most effective way to prevent pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia in adults 65-74 years is to receive the 13-protein-conjugated vaccines and the 23-polysaccharide vaccines, which are nationally supported.

"I think this webinar is unique for sharing the importance of disease prevention through pneumococcal vaccination in menopausal women in their 50s, passing through the return point of their lives," said Kim Hee-jin, managing director of the Vaccine Division at Pfizer.

In the future, the Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Vaccine Division of Korea will continue to work with domestic medical staff to innovate to change patients' lives, including patients who are vulnerable to infectious diseases through the pneumococcal vaccine, she added.