World Pneumonia Day: “Championing the Fight to Stop Pneumonia”

World Pneumonia Day: "Championing the Fight to Stop Pneumonia"World Pneumonia Day, held annually on November 12, provides an annual forum for the world in the fight against pneumonia.World Pneumonia Day is a yearly reminder that pneumonia can strike anywhere and anytime, and is a serious, potentially life-threatening lung infection.The theme for the World Pneumonia Day 2024 is "Championing the fight to stop pneumonia".The day aims to raise awareness of pneumonia as a public health issue, promote prevention and treatment, and provide a forum for the world to fight pneumonia.Pneumonia is primarily caused by viruses, bacteria or fungi that are transmitted from one person to another.Pneumonia, a leading cause of death among children worldwide, is an acute respiratory infection that affects the lungs.It can be caused by various pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi.The most common type of bacterial pneumonia is pneumococcal pneumonia.While it can affect people of all ages, children are particularly vulnerable due to their developing immune systems.Pneumonia is a preventable and treatable disease that sickens 155 million children under 5 and kills 1.6 million each year.This makes pneumonia the number 1 killer of children under 5, claiming more lives in this age-group than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined.World Pneumonia Day aims to help bring this health crisis to the public's attention and encourages policy-makers and grassroots organizers alike to combat the disease.The fight to reduce deaths from the single, biggest infectious killer of adults and children has never been more urgent.In 2021, pneumonia claimed the lives of 2.2 million, including 5,02,000 children, and COVID-19 killed an additional 10 million, according to the Global Burden of Disease.Together, they caused more deaths than any other cause, including heart disease.With climate change continuing to increase the burden of respiratory conditions and the risk of another pandemic of respiratory infection high, there is a pneumonia crisis across the life course placing millions at risk of infection and death.Tragically, it is the very young and the very old who are at the greatest risk.Children living in areas with low vaccination rates and rising malnutrition, and in homes that use polluting fuels for cooking and heating, are particularly vulnerable.Older adults exposed to outdoor air pollution -most significantly from burning fossil fuels -and smoking are also at risk.Almost half of the estimated 1.5 million pneumonia deaths among adults aged over 50 are attributable to air pollution and smoking. Key Statistics and Facts about Pneumonia1. Pneumonia is the leading cause of infectious death in children globally, with 22% of deaths among children under five.