震災により被災した高齢者の方々は、避難所や仮設住宅および民間借上げ住宅などの慣れない場所での生活を余儀なくされており、冬場における肺炎などの呼吸器疾患の増加が懸念されていました。高齢者の肺炎の原因に多い肺炎球菌による肺炎の予防と重症化を防ぐため、日本赤十字社は70歳以上の高齢者の肺炎球菌ワクチン接種にかかる費用を全額助成しました。
Elderly people affected by the earthquake have been forced to live in unfamiliar places such as evacuation centers, temporary housing and privately-rented housing whose rents are subsidized by local governments. There was a concern that they might suffer from respiratory diseases including pneumonia during winter more often than previous years. In order to prevent them from developing or aggravating pneumococcal pneumonia, which is the highest form of pneumonia among elderly people, the Japanese Red Cross Society provided the total cost of inoculation of anti-pneumonia vaccine for the affected elderly people aged 70 years or more.