World Pneumonia Day is an annual global event held on November 12th to raise awareness and educate people about Pneumonia disease, which is the world’s leading infectious killer of adults and children, accounting for the majority of deaths among children under the age of five worldwide. The day is also focused on providing ample opportunities and encouraging global action, particularly in low and middle-income countries, to combat the toll of pneumonia and other respiratory infections.
Pneumonia primarily affects the lungs, and when a person has pneumonia, the air sacs fill with fluid or pus, causing cough, fever, chills, and shortness of breath with mucus. Pneumonia can be caused by a variety of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
Pneumonia is an acute respiratory infection that can be prevented by:
🍎 Adequate nutrition
💨 Addressing environmental factors
— United Nations (@UN) November 12, 2022
World Pneumonia Day 2022: Theme
The World Pneumonia Day 2022 theme is “Championing the fight to stop pneumonia.”
World Pneumonia Day 2022: History and Significance
The first World Pneumonia Day was observed on November 12, 2009, as part of the ‘Stop Penuemonia’ initiative of the Global Coalition Against Child Pneumonia. Following that, WHO and UNICEF launched a global action plan to prevent and control pneumonia.
Pneumonia is a serious lung infection caused by a viral or bacterial infection that causes an inflammatory response in the lungs. For the uninitiated, Covid can also cause pneumonia, which can cause serious lung damage. Thus, the goal of commemorating this day is to raise public awareness and concern about the disease of pneumonia. Its goal is to have no deaths from pneumonia by 2030.
World Pneumonia Day 2022: Symptoms
- A cough, which may be dry, or produce thick yellow, green, brown or blood-stained mucus
- Difficulty in breathing
- Loss of appetite
- Blood in the sputum
- Chest Pain