The theme for World Pneumonia Day 2024: “Every Breath Counts: Stop Pneumonia in Its Track.”
Aim: to raise awareness about the life-threatening but preventable respiratory illness.
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli.
Its symptoms typically include a combination of dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty in breathing.
According to the Global Burden of Disease, pneumonia is the single biggest infectious killer of adults and children.
It is a preventable and treatable disease that sickens 155 million children under 5 and kills 1.6 million each year.
This makes pneumonia the number 1 killer of children under 5, claiming more lives in this age group than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined.
Anyone can get pneumonia, but some people are at higher risk. Those who can get very sick with pneumonia include young children, older adults, and people with certain chronic health conditions, including lung disease, heart disease, kidney or liver disease, diabetes, sickle cell disease, or illnesses that weaken the immune system, such as HIV and certain cancers.
Doctors warn us that Pneumonia can be serious.
Its symptoms of pneumonia include fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, or a general feeling of weakness..
Complications from pneumonia can include respiratory failure, sepsis, and even death. The death rate is higher among adults age 65 years and older. Early diagnosis and treatment are important for serious pneumococcal infections.
Vaccines can help prevent pneumonia and protect against pneumococcal disease.
According to Albert Rizzo, MD, chief medical officer for the American Lung Association, “adults over 65 years are said to be at increased risk for pneumococcal pneumonia. It is because the body’s immune system naturally weakens with age.
“In addition, unlike seasonal respiratory infections like influenza, pneumococcal pneumonia can happen any time of the year, so it is important for those at greater risk to be protected. Fortunately, pneumococcal pneumonia vaccines are available to help prevent the disease.”
