'It's a Horrible Thing': Pneumonia Survivor Advocates for Pneumococcal Vaccination in Minority Communities

In an interview with Pharmacy Times®, Karyne Jones, CEO of the National Caucus and Center on Black Aging, recounts her experience being sick with pneumonia and advocates for pneumococcal vaccination, especially given the recent lowering of the age-based vaccine recommendation by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to individuals 50 years and older.

Jones particularly highlights the benefits of pneumococcal vaccination in minority communities, who often deal with disproportionate levels of chronic illness and co-morbidities that can make pneumococcal disease more severe.

Pharmacy Times: What led you to seek out and receive a pneumococcal vaccine?

Karyne Jones, CEO, National Caucus and Center on Black Aging: I got pneumonia. I had never been that sick before in my entire life, and I'm a very healthy person. It pretty much took me out of the picture. I had a terrible cough that basically was hurting my chest. I had high fever. Once I just was not getting any better after a couple of days, that's when I went to the hospital, and that's when I was diagnosed. I think about people who have other chronic diseases, like cancer, diabetes, and other things that would affect their immune system, who might not be able to fight it off, as I was able to do. This was prior to the vaccine being given to people under 50. Now, of course, we know that it's been lowered by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). That's a good thing, because in Black and brown and Asian communities, where the vaccination rates are low, and where there are higher rates for pneumonia in those communities, it's good news that they've lowered the age to 50, because when we're including more people who get pneumonia. So, we're very happy about where this has gone in the last month, I guess now.

Pharmacy Times: Why are you advocating for pneumococcal vaccination for those recommended to receive one?

Jones: In my organization, we advocate for older adults, and we certainly have an emphasis on older adults of color who have not had the access to quality health care and aren't as aware of things like the vaccine that are important to their health. So, we got involved in it as part of what we do in not only maintaining health and wellness but working in preventive measures. This is a big preventive measure for something we know affects our communities more than in others. That's why we got involved in it, and because I can personally speak to how difficult not only getting pneumonia and going through that process [was], but how long it took me to really get back to myself. I couldn't work for a month. I couldn't eat or drink. I had an excruciating cough, and again, chest pains, as a result. After I got over the initial part of the pneumonia—again, I wasn't vaccinated at the time—it took me at least 2 more months to feel normal, to stop with the fatigue and stop with the cough. I don't want anybody else to have to go through that. So that's why we have partnered with other aging and patient advocate groups to get the information out to our communities who may not still be aware that the age has been lowered to 50 and older now to receive the pneumococcal vaccine.

Pharmacy Times: Can you discuss how pneumococcal disease has an outsized effect on minority communities?

Jones: Black, brown, and Asian communities have a lower rate of vaccinations. Particularly now with so many vaccination vaccines that are being talked about, this is one that's very important, because of the decision that was made in October by the ACIP. When they made the decision to lower it, they recognized that because rates were low and the disease was higher in people from that age on, reducing it from 65 down to 50 was significant for our communities. It's because of lack of access to health care, health disparities, all the other things that we hear about that communities who are poor and communities of color that are impacted more by these kinds of diseases. That's why it's important that we get the message out, so there’s one more way of protecting themselves and preventing something that could be deadly for them. So that's why we got involved, and that's why we are promoting this information.

Pharmacy Times: How will lowering the age-based recommendation for pneumococcal vaccines help increase vaccine uptake, especially in minority communities?

Jones: For communities of color, for older adults of color, chronic disease management is very difficult because they've not had access, and we know, again, about all the health disparities that go before these communities. It's just extremely important that we at least try to get as much information out, that people may not be aware that at one time, this was only for people 60 recommended for people 65 and older. And now, with lowering it down to 50, you'll be able to capture more people who have access to it, who could get pneumonia, like I did. I was younger than 65 at the time, and so I was not able or eligible for the thing, but I was, you know, younger. Now, as I became eligible, I could get the vaccine. I just want to make sure that people who are at least 50 and older, and certainly through the advice of their health provider, that they can prevent getting as sick as I never want to be again.

Pharmacy Times: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Jones: Nope, I just think that it’s important, particularly during this respiratory season, to take advantage of how [patients] can care for their own health, be advocates for their own health, and the way they do that is to learn more about how you can get these vaccines to protect yourself, to keep you healthy, and to certainly make sure that they stay healthy and that they don't get as sick as I got. We can prevent that. I just wouldn't wish pneumonia on anybody. It's a horrible thing. And the death rates, you know, 1 out of 20; you know,150,000 people a year contract pneumonia, and 1 in 20 of those die from it. If we can avoid those sicknesses, and if we can avoid people getting that sick and then even death, this is why we promote it, and hope that people will take advantage now that are 50 and older to get this vaccine.