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Great post, Alysia. We hear and see so much emphasis on the flu shot, and yet pneumonia can be a killer especially in the older population.

Here's an NPR piece on the pneumonia shot:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16094490

And here's a good page for people interested in knowing how the shot can prevent pneumonia:

http://www.fbhc.org/Patients/Modules/pneumonia.cfm

And since side effects always are an issue, it seems that those associated with this shot are fairly mild:

"Some people have mild side effects from the shot, but these usually are minor and last only a very short time. In studies, about half of the people getting the vaccine had mild side effects--swelling and soreness at the spot where the shot was given, usually on the arm.

"A few people (less than 1 percent) had fever and muscle pain as well as more serious swelling and pain on the arm. The pneumonia shot cannot cause pneumonia because it is not made from the bacteria itself, but from a bacterial component that is not infectious."

You still have to be cautious, as some people do have flu shot side effects. But a bout of pneumonia in an older person can be devastatingly serious, so it's seriously worth consideration.