Vaccination of immunocompromised patients.

Vaccination of immunocompromised patients is challenging both regarding efficacy and safety. True efficacy data are lacking so existing recommendations are based on immune responses and safety data. Inactivated vaccines can generally be used without risk but the patients who are most at risk for infectious morbidity and mortality as a result of their severely immunosuppressed state are also those least likely to respond to vaccination. However, vaccination against pneumococci, Haemophilus influenzae and influenza are generally recommended. Live vaccines must be used with care because the risk for vaccine-associated disease exists.