[A questionnaire study on the necessity of approval for revaccination of the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine].

To clarify the current situation of revaccination with pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV) and the adverse effects caused by revaccination with PPV in the elderly in Japan, a questionnaire study was carried out among the 989 members of the directors and councillors of the Japanese Respirology Society and the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases. Of 385 evaluable respondents, 290 who had had experience giving PPV immunization were regarded as the study subjects. Of whom 46 subjects (15.9%) had had experience of PPV revaccination. However, 252 subjects (86.9%) recognized that PPV revaccination is necessary. In addition, of the 290 subjects, 114 subjects (49.7%) had experienced a patient refusing the first vaccination with PPV because of contraindications for PPV revaccination. Of 46 subjects with experience of PPV vaccination, 4 subjects found adverse effects in the recipients of PPV revaccination. The adverse effects found were not serious. The present study demonstrated that most of the study subjects recognized the necessity of PPV revaccination, and in part, those subjects implementing PPV revaccination were responding to requests by patients or their family. It was also suggested that the contraindication for PPV revaccination could prevent the increase of the coverage rate of PPV.