World Pneumonia Day 2020: With COVID-19 rampaging, it’s important to focus on this respiratory illness beyond the pandemic

Pneumonia infection. Image courtesy of CDC Public Health Image Library / Wikimedia Commons

World Pneumonia Day was first observed in 2009 to raise awareness and advocate global behavior for acute respiratory illness, which kills millions of people each year. The theme for World Pneumonia Day 2020 is “Every Breath Counts”, which is appropriate as this year’s focus is on the disease. COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) (# If there is no character limit, add parentheses when it first appears Pandemic.

Impact of COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) (# If there is no character limit, add parentheses when it first appears Mortality from pneumonia

Pneumonia killed 2.5 million people in 2019, including 672,000 children, according to statistics provided by the nonprofit Stop Pneumonia.Recently published editorial American Journal of Physiology In early November 2020 COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) (# If there is no character limit, add parentheses when it first appears Infectious diseases and pandemics are estimated to kill 1.9 million people by December 31, 2020, and if all these deaths were classified as lower respiratory tract infections by global disease burden, all in 2020. Mortality from pneumonia due to cause increases by 70%.

This, as the article suggests, will bring the annual death toll from pneumonia to a whopping 4.5 million. Other infectious diseases do not cause such a large death burden.Impact of COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) (# If there is no character limit, add parentheses when it first appears How pneumonia was seen, diagnosed, treated and prevented was enormous.

how COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) (# If there is no character limit, add parentheses when it first appears Related to pneumonia

Since the pandemic began the study Pneumonia indicates a serious complication COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) (# If there is no character limit, add parentheses when it first appears .. Pneumonia not only causes inflammation in one or both lungs, but also causes the accumulation of mucus or fluid in them. This makes breathing more difficult and makes the disease worse. Exacerbation of pneumonia can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This can be fatal as it causes pulmonary fibrosis or scarring of lung tissue.

Further study of COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) (# If there is no character limit, add parentheses when it first appears Related pneumonia revealed its severity COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) (# If there is no character limit, add parentheses when it first appears Patients who require oxygen support through ventilation are at increased risk of developing pneumonia.Studies published in Scientific translation medicine In case of serious illness COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) (# If there is no character limit, add parentheses when it first appears Patients are given a high flow of oxygen from a ventilator to promote the growth of bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus. The growth of these microorganisms in the lungs not only causes pneumonia, but also leads to lung abscesses and injuries. The effects can last for a long time and the recovery will be even more intense.

What needs to be changed to eradicate pneumonia

As the editorial mentioned above shows COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) (# If there is no character limit, add parentheses when it first appears The pandemic, as witnessed during the pandemic, is how the global healthcare system is prepared to cope with the large and rapidly expanding outbreak of viral pneumonia, especially in low- and middle-income countries such as India. I made it clear that it wasn’t in place. From a lack of adequate ventilators to a lack of pulse oximeters, flaws in the infrastructure to deal with pneumonia are very much needed for what is really needed to better treat and eliminate pneumonia. I guessed.

A better investment in respiratory health care, whether it’s a device or a grassroots awareness campaign, is arguably the greatest need for time. Various types of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) are available worldwide that can at least prevent bacterial pneumonia, if not viral pneumonia. A vaccination drive that guarantees that all children are vaccinated annually can significantly reduce cases of pneumonia. It should also be noted that there are no rapid diagnostic tests for pneumonia yet, and the research orientation towards the development of such tests also proves to be of great value.

Eliminating pneumonia risk factors is another effective way to ultimately eliminate pneumonia, which can be more difficult than other means of reducing pneumonia-related morbidity and mortality. There is. According to the Global Burden of Disease Study, the two major risk factors for pneumonia are waste or malnutrition and air pollution, and to eliminate such risks, identify at-risk populations, educate communities and medical care. The facility should be equipped with pulsed oxygen measurements and oxygen support and trained in medical care. Staff who better care for pneumonia patients.

All of this shows that there is much to be done before controlling the number of cases and mortality of pneumonia globally, not to mention the complete elimination of this deadly infection. So COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) (# If there is no character limit, add parentheses when it first appears The pandemic spotlights pneumonia, and community leaders, state and national policy makers, and the global community of healthcare professionals and researchers need to work together to make a difference.

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