World Pneumonia Day: Raising pneumonia awareness throughout the life course

Today is World Pneumonia Day, a day to raise awareness about this serious and potentially life-threatening illness. Throughout the day, mass media and NGO’s have focused largely on the impact pneumonia has on children:

Although media coverage on the impact that pneumonia has on children is important and well intentioned, recognizing that pneumonia affects other vulnerable groups such as older people and those with chronic disease is critical to promoting societal health and wellbeing. People aged 65 and older are at 10x greater risk for hospitalization with pneumococcal pneumonia than adults aged 18-49, yet a study by PneuVUE found that 80% did not feel concerned about the risk of catching it.

Pneumococcal vaccination is a vital component of a comprehensive public health strategy on healthy ageing that helps in the prevention of disability or death from this preventable disease. This World Pneumonia Day, the International Federation on Ageing joins partner organizations in committing to support pneumonia awareness throughout the life course, illustrated in this joint statement. Visit @Vaccines4Life for more information and to raise awareness on the importance of pneumococcal vaccination to healthy ageing.

Interested in discussing adult vaccination further? Ask IFA Experts Dr Mine Durusu-Tanriover and Dr Luis M. Guiterrez Robledo for information on the importance of the pneumococcal pneumonia vaccination for promoting healthy ageing in older people.