Pneumococcus is a germ (bacterium) which can cause pneumonia, meningitis and some other infections. Pneumococcal infections can affect anybody, but older people and people with long-term medical conditions are at increased risk of developing them. Some pneumococcal infections are more serious than others.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at https://patient.info/medicine/pneumococcal-vaccines-for-adults-and-children-pneumovax-23-prevenar-13