Over the years of the new crown epidemic, many people have heard the word "pneumonia" or have palpitations.
Some people say that they are not afraid of new crown virus infection, but they are afraid of being diagnosed with "pneumonia" after going to the hospital to make a film.
And a New Year's greeting text message has also been widely circulated by many people -
"I wish you all a new year: clear texture and normal distribution of both lungs, no substantial lesions in the lungs, small hilus, centered mediastinum, small cardiac shadow, smooth diaphragm, and sharp costophrenic angle. Happy Chinese New Year! ”
In short, it is - I wish you no pneumonia!
Broadly speaking, "pneumonia" is not a single disease, but a general term for acute respiratory infections affecting the lungs.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), pneumonia kills nearly one million children under 5 years of age worldwide every year, 98% of which come from developing countries [1]. At the same time, pneumonia is also one of the important causes of death among infants and the elderly in mainland China [2].
There are many causes of pneumonia, such as:
1. Bacteria
Common are Streptococcus pneumoniae (there are more than 90 serotypes), Haemophilus influenzae (a common pathogen for pneumonia in children), Staphylococcus aureus, group A streptococcus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bordetella pertussis and so on. Among them, Streptococcal pneumoniae infection is the most common cause of severe pneumonia.
2. Viruses
Such as respiratory syncytial virus, influenza virus, adenovirus, parainfluenza virus, rhinovirus; And the "recruits" have covid, bocavirus, human avian influenza virus, etc.
3. Fungi
Such as Pneumocystis sporidium.
4. Parasites
Such as lung flukes, roundworms, hookworms, amoeba and so on.
5. Miscellaneous
Such as Chlamydida pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia trachomatis, etc.
Pneumonia can not only be caused by multiple pathogens, but is also the most common complication of many diseases (i.e., the development of the former disease causes or combines the development of another disease or symptom).
(1) Influenza: Pneumonia is the most common complication of influenza patients, usually caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae or Staphylococcus aureus [3].
(2) Measles: A foreign study found that 85% of measles deaths can be attributed to pneumonia caused by viral or bacterial infection [4].
(3) Chickenpox: For patients with immunodeficiency or immunosuppressed chickenpox (especially adults), the risk of death due to pneumonia may be as high as 50% [5].
All of the above three diseases can be effectively prevented by vaccination with corresponding vaccines.
The easiest and most effective way to prevent pneumonia is to get vaccinated.
What we often call "pneumonia vaccine" actually refers to "pneumococcal vaccine", which can only prevent pneumonia caused by pneumoniae infection.
And in fact, we also have many vaccines that can prevent various types of pneumonia -
Children and adults can be vaccinated as long as there are currently no contraindications to vaccination (e.g., no more fever, no symptoms of acute and severe illness).
After 6 months of the new crown "Yangkang", you can also go to the new crown vaccine to prevent pneumonia caused by new crown virus infection.
Of course, vaccines do not make us "invincible". In daily life, we still have to pay attention to personal protection, diligent hands, wear masks, improve our own immunity, and prevent all kinds of infectious diseases!
Reviewer: Jiang Shiqiang
Director of the Department of Immunization Planning of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province
bibliography
1.WHO. Vaccines against influenza: WHO position paper –May 2022 [J]. Wkly Epidemiol Rec, 2022, 97(19): 185-208.
2. Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, Chinese Preventive Medicine Association Vaccine and Immunology Branch, Wang Huaqing, et al. Expert consensus on immunoprevention of pneumococcal disease (2020 edition)[J]. Chinese Journal of Vaccines and Immunization, 2021.
3. National Immunization Program Technical Working Group Influenza Vaccine Working Group. Technical guidelines for influenza vaccine vaccination in China (2022-2023)[J]. Chinese Journal of Epidemiology, 2022, 43(10):1515-1544.
4.Beckford AP, Kaschula RO, Stephen C. Factors associated with fatal cases of measles. A retrospective autopsy study. S Afr Med J 1985; 68:858.
5.Uptodate Clinical Consultant. Clinical features of varicella-zoster virus infection: chickenpox
*Produced by Tencent Medical Codex Content Team