What is World Pneumonia Day?
World Pneumonia Day, November 12th, raises concerns about this deadly disease. It's also a day that the world takes a stand and demands that the fight against pneumonia be taken seriously.
Pneumonia is a respiratory disease that causes the air sacs in the lungs to become stuffed with fluid or pus. As this occurs, oxygen levels are reduced and breathing becomes extremely difficult. Around the world, 2.5 million people die each year from this infectious disease each year. This number includes 672,000 children. Pneumonia is the most common cause of death among children under the age of 5. Air pollution is one of the most common risk factors for pneumonia. Polluted air accounts for nearly one-third of all pneumonia deaths. Deadly air pollution not only occurs outdoors but also indoors.
Infants, children, and seniors over the age of 65 are at the highest risk of dying from pneumonia. Children are more vulnerable to respiratory problems as a result of indoor air pollution. On open fires, many developing countries cook with wood, charcoal, dung, and coal. Indoor air pollution is caused by all of these things. Other items that pollute indoor air include tobacco smoke, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, asbestos, paint, mold, dust, and synthetic fragrances. Exhaust from automobiles and industrial pollutants are two of the causes of outdoor air pollution.
The numbers of pneumonia by the numbers are high in the United States
One million people die of pneumonia each year in the United States. Pneumonia causes 400,000 hospitalizations. In poorer countries, pneumonia is more common and fatal. In the United States, more than 20,000 people die each year from pneumonia. Some of the highest death rates of pneumonia in Africa and Southeast Asia occur in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. More than half of all childhood deaths from pneumonia in these five countries in 2017 occurred in these five countries.
