Pneumonia is a form of acute respiratory infection that affects the lungs. The lungs are made up of small sacs called alveoli, which fill with air when a healthy person breathes. When an individual has pneumonia, the alveoli are filled with pus and fluid, which makes breathing painful and limits oxygen intake.
Pneumonia is the single largest infectious cause of death in children worldwide. It killed 808 694 children under the age of five in 2017 and accounted for 15% of deaths among children under five years old. Despite its prevalence, it is most prominent in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Causes
Pneumonia is caused by a number of infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria and fungi.
The most common are:
Streptococcus pneumoniae – the most common cause of bacterial pneumonia in children.
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) – the second most common cause of bacterial pneumonia
Respiratory syncytial virus is the most common viral cause of pneumonia
In infants infected with HIV, Pneumocystis jiroveci is one of the most common causes of pneumonia, responsible for at least one quarter of all pneumonia deaths in HIV-infected infants
Transmission
The most common ways that people get pneumonia is from viruses and bacteria. They can spread by being inhaled through the nose or throat, as well as coughs and sneezes.
Pneumonia is a disease that has been a major cause of death in many civilizations. The disease can be transmitted through several ways, including blood and saliva. Because pneumonia may become life-threatening, more research needs to be done on different pathogens causing pneumonia and the transmission methods they use to reach humans.....READ MORE