A CDC panel this week backtracked on a 2014 recommendation for all seniors over age 65 to receive Pfizer's pneumococcal vaccine Prevnar 13, reports STAT.
Four things to know:
1. The agency's Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices repealed the recommendation in an 8-6 vote.
2. Panel experts noted that widespread efforts to vaccinate children against pneumococcus have led to a decrease in adult cases.
3. ACIP now recommends older patients speak with their physicians about whether they should receive Prevnar 13.
4. The panel's recommendation for all children under age 2 to receive the vaccine still stands.