Last year in Moldova, 1,057 people, including 34 children under the age of 5, died of pneumonia. Globally each year, more than 2 million people, including 800 thousand children, lose their lives to this disease. The data are presented by the National Agency for Public Health in the context of World Pneumonia Day, marked on November 12.

Pneumonia is a serious respiratory infection caused by viruses, bacteria or fungi, which affects the lungs, limiting the supply of oxygen to the body’s cells. The most vulnerable are children under 5 and adults over 70. Symptoms of pneumonia can range from mild to very severe, the most common being cough, fever, chills, difficulty breathing, chest pain, general malaise, fatigue, loss of appetite, etc. Other symptoms may vary depending on the cause, severity of the disease, age and other factors.

Risk factors include limited access to prevention and care services, malnutrition, air pollution from burning fossil fuels and tobacco consumption, presence of chronic diseases, etc.

To prevent pneumonia, several health practices are essential. These include supporting and promoting exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 months of life, a practice that can reduce the incidence of pneumonia by 23%. Also, specialists recommend ensuring adequate and balanced nutrition, such as immunization against pneumococcus, Hib, whooping cough, measles, flu, COVID, etc.

World Pneumonia Day was initiated by the Global Coalition Against Child Pneumonia, and is supported by the World Health Organization and UNICEF to raise public awareness of pneumonia and prompt countries to take preventive and control measures.