Table 6. High-risk population who should be administered lifelong antibiotic prophylaxis after splenectomy.

PPV: pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine

High-risk population

Children younger than 16 years of age

Adults older than 50 years of age

Individuals with a past history of invasive pneumococcal infection

Individuals splenectomized for hematologic malignant diseases, malignant neoplasms, and thalassemia

Individuals in the first year post-splenectomy, irrespective of the cause

Patients with sickle cell anemia

Individuals with a poor response to PPV-23