Pneumonia  is observed on November 12 to promote the need to stand and fight against pneumonia. Pneumonia is a preventable and treatable disease. World Pneumonia Day helps to bring this health crisis to the public’s attention and encourages policymakers to roll out policies to combat the disease. One of the most dreaded diseases that has been affecting making since ages is Pneumonia – an infection of the lungs caused by various classes of viruses, bacteria and fungi. It affects people in all ages groups but it is particularly life-threatening for kids and person over the age of 65. World Pneumonia Day: Why Pneumonia Often Strikes Older Adults? Here's What Makes the Lung Disease Dangerous For Old People.

Here we take a look at some interesting facts about this disease.

  • The main symptoms of pneumonia include fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath and chest pain.

  • There are four types of Pneumonia – Community-acquired pneumonia, Hospital-acquired pneumonia, Healthcare acquired pneumonia and Aspirate pneumonia.

  • There are a number of causes of Pneumonia and includes bacteria, fungi, virus and mycoplasma germs.

  • Pneumonia is the most common cause of sepsis and septic shock and accounts for 50 % of all cases.

  • Majority of the patients who suffer from pneumonia cannot have the microbe causing the disease identified.

  • If a person is hospitalised with Pneumonia, it takes about 6-8 weeks to get him back to a normal level of functioning which bears testament to how dangerous this disease is.

  • Even if the babies get pneumonia, breastfeeding is considered a way to negate the impact of the disease.

  • Some of the ways we can avoid getting pneumonia is washing our hands, getting adequate sleep and avoiding smoking.

  • Getting a flu shot every year significantly decreases the chance of pneumonia as it is one of the common causes of the disease.

  • Antibiotics are becoming ineffective in the fight against pneumonia which is worrying health care workers worldwide.

The disease basically causes the inflammation of the alveoli and it is filled with liquid or pus. This significantly causes difficulty in breathing and lowers the oxygen level in the bloodstream. This disease severely impacts the low immunity age group and in 2017, 2.56 million people lost their lives due to it with almost a third of the victim were young children.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 12, 2020 08:15 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).