Can influenza vaccination and pneumococcal vaccination be administered at the same time?
The simultaneous vaccination is medically harmless, unless it is a patient with a known immunodeficiency.The underlying pathogen classes differ for the vaccines mentioned above. In the case of pneumococcal vaccination, bacteria are the causative pathogens. With the flu vaccination, however, the viruses are the causative agents. Frequently, an infection with pneumococci can occur as a result of influenza (influenza viruses). There is also no indication on the STIKO website that a simultaneous vaccination must not be carried out.
Is one contagious after a vaccination?
As it is a dead vaccine, there is no risk of infection from the vaccinated person, as there are no pathogens in the person, but only harmless components of pathogens. The signs of illness such as slight fever, muscle and joint pain are signs that the immune system is reacting to the vaccination. As described above, in very rare cases the vaccine may still contain intact pathogens that trigger disease. Then the vaccinated person can be contagious for his environment. However, such cases are in the probability range of 1 in 100,000 at most.
Costs
The cost of vaccinations varies depending on the vaccine. For the vaccine, which is able to cover 13 subtypes of the pneumococcal pathogens, a price of almost 80 euros per syringe can be found online. It should be noted that children need three or possibly four doses of this vaccine.
For larger quantities, however, there is also a discount for private buyers. The vaccine with components of 23 subtypes, on the other hand, paradoxically costs only about 36 euros, less than half the price of the other vaccine. At the same time, there are several manufacturers, which could explain a more aggressive price war among manufacturers, which is why the price is lower.
If you belong to one of the groups of people for whom vaccination against pneumococcus is recommended, your health insurance will usually cover the costs. Accordingly, this includes children and adults older than 60 years. For all other persons, the health insurance company could demand proof of the indication for vaccination. This can be issued by the vaccinating doctor.