World Pneumonia Day is commemorated every November 12 with the goal of raising awareness about the severity of this disease and promoting actions for its prevention and treatment. Pneumonia is an acute respiratory infection that primarily affects children under 5 years old and adults over 65 years old, being the leading individual cause of child mortality worldwide.
In 2019, pneumonia caused the death of 740,180 children under 5 years old, representing 14% of all deaths in this age group globally. In Argentina, 98,654 cases of pneumonia were reported between weeks 1 and 31 of 2024, with a cumulative incidence of 209.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
The treatment of pneumonia generally requires oral antibiotics prescribed by physicians, and hospitalization is only recommended in severe cases. The prevention of this disease is achieved through vaccination and adequate nutrition, which includes breastfeeding during the first six months of life and improving environmental factors.
The Ministry of Health of Argentina has included important strategies in its 2024 National Vaccination Calendar to prevent pneumococcal pneumonia. The medical director of MSD Argentina, Virginia Verdaguer, highlighted the importance of effective tools to prevent certain types of pneumonia and emphasized that timely treatment can avoid hospitalizations and save lives.
Early diagnosis in children and adults is essential for effective treatment. Pediatric vaccination is given in three doses at 2, 4, and 12 months of age, and it is considered for individuals aged 5 to 64 years with compromise or chronic diseases and for those over 65 years old.
Pneumonia can be caused by different infectious agents such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi. The most common include Streptococcus pneumoniae, the most common cause of bacterial pneumonia, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), the main cause of viral pneumonia. Symptoms of pneumonia can vary by age, making it important to observe signs such as rapid breathing or subcostal retraction in children under 5 years with cough and/or difficulty breathing.
