On World Pneumonia Day, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Sunday said the pneumococcal vaccine reduces the risk of dying from pneumonia.
“Pneumococcal vaccine prevents pneumonia deaths,” said influenza expert and DAK President Dr Nisar ul Hassan.
Quoting a study, Dr Hassan said the pneumococcal vaccine was found to reduce the risk of death from pneumonia by 59% among elderly people.
“The study also revealed that vaccine reduces the risk of getting pneumonia by 45%,” he said.
The benefits of the pneumococcal vaccine are impressive in children too. The vaccine has been found to decrease the mortality among young children by up to 30%,” DAK President quoted another study.
He said pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death. It is especially fatal in elderly, young children and those with underlying chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, heart, lung, liver and kidney disease.
“The most frequent cause of pneumonia in children and elderly is pneumococcus, a bacterial infection which is primarily transmitted through respiratory droplets of the infected person. And, the single best way to prevent the infection is through vaccination,” he said.
Dr Nisar said pneumonia is an infection where tiny air sacs in your lungs (alveoli) become inflamed. This can lead to symptoms such as fever, cough and difficulty in breathing.
“Elderly people can manifest with atypical symptoms like feeling weak or experiencing confusion or delirium. In them pneumonia can be more difficult to recognize which can potentially result in a delay in diagnosis and treatment,” he said.
“Every year on November 12, World Pneumonia Day is observed to spread awareness and educate people to combat this serious, potentially life-threatening lung infection,” he added.(KNT)