On the occasion of World Pneumonia Day which falls on November 12, let's take a look at what are the risk factors of this highly communicable disease and what steps to take in order to prevent them
World Pneumonia Day 2017: Pneumonia is a highly communicable disease
HIGHLIGHTS
- Pneumonia is bacterial in nature
- The communicable disease can cause breathing problems
- Pneumonia can cause difficulty in breathing
Pneumonia is a highly communicable disease which is bacterial in nature. It happens because of an infection that fills air sacs of the lungs (medically termed "alveoli") with fluid or pus. It causes difficulty in breathing, and can be both mild and severe. Symptoms of pneumonia include running nose, sore throat, intermittent cough, low fever, some body chills, and sometimes headaches. As a lung infection, pneumonia can affect people of all ages and from all walks of life. This World Pneumonia Day, let's take a look into the risk factors of the disease and how to prevent them:
Age Groups
The age group that is most vulnerable to risk factors of pneumonia are children below 2 years of age and people above the age of 65. While the immune system of children is not strong enough to be tolerant to such infections, the immune system of the elderly tends to get weak because of the medical issues with which they are already suffering.
Hospitalisation
Patients who are hospitalised because of other chronic disease are at the higher risk of catching a communicable disease like pneumonia. It makes the illness even worse, especially if the patient is on a ventilator. Also, people admitted in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) are likely to pick up pneumonia.
Weak Immune System
Chances of people who have a weak immune system because of an organ transplants or chemotherapy are extremely prone to catching pneumonia. People with poor lifestyle habits like smoking or consuming alcohol are also prone to catching pneumonia.
Pregnant Women
Pregnant women are too extremely prone to catching pneumonia. Immune system tends to work differently when a woman is pregnant and increases their risk of infections. Also, pneumonia increases chances of premature labour. Chances of women dying at child birth are higher because of pneumonia.
How to prevent risk of pneumonia?
One of the most common ways of avoiding communicable diseases is by avoiding people who are infected with them. Here are some basic guidelines to prevent spread of pneumonia:
- Get the pneumonia vaccine and regular flu shots every season. It helps in boosting the immune system.
- Living a healthy and hygienic life is the key to prevent communicable diseases like pneumonia. Follow simple steps like washing hands with soap regularly and encouraging others to do the same. Also follow a healthy lifestyle by exercising regularly and eating healthy and nutritious food.
- Regularly disinfect your surroundings. The chemicals used in cleansing the floor, window panes, tables, and utensils kill off any bacteria contaminating the items. This in turn helps to prevent the spread of the bacteria.
- Avoid smoking. Smoking weakens the lung's ability to defend itself from bacteria. Smokers represent a majority of the group of people who are prone to risks of communicable diseases like pneumonia.
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