On World Pneumonia Day, the Forum of International Respiratory Societies calls for collaborative efforts to fight pneumonia—focusing on those at greatest risk
November 11, 2022
Glenview, IL – This World Pneumonia Day, November 12, 2022, the Forum of
International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), of which the American College
of Chest Physicians (CHEST) is a founding member, is calling on governments
and other stakeholders to take urgent action to tackle pneumonia—focusing
on those who are at greatest risk of severe illness.
The combined effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, air
pollution and conflict have fueled pneumonia numbers, increasing the need
for a global, collaborative effort.
In 2021, the estimated burden of deaths from respiratory infections,
including COVID-19, was a staggering 6 million people.
Pneumonia caused 672,000 deaths in children under 5 years of age in 2019,
according to the Global Burden of Disease. Within this especially vulnerable population:
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One person is dying every 13 seconds
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One child under 5 is dying every 47 seconds
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One adult over 70 years is dying every 26 seconds
Most deaths occur in the poorest populations in low- and middle-income
countries (LMICs). Low vaccination rates or lack of immunization,
malnutrition or exposure to cigarette smoke and air pollution are key
factors that increase susceptibility to pneumonia and to severe illness.
Older adults exposed to air pollution, especially from burning fossil fuels
and smoking, are also at risk. Almost half of the estimated 1.6 million
pneumonia deaths among adults aged over 50 years are
attributable to air pollution or smoking.
To prevent, diagnose and treat pneumonia, this World Pneumonia Day, FIRS is
calling on governments to:
- Strengthen health systems to deliver interventions which reduce pneumonia
deaths, including provision of effective vaccines, antibiotics and oxygen
delivery systems for all
- Implement sustainable interventions that protect against, prevent and
treat pneumonia across age groups
- Support research into prevention and treatment strategies, such as
simple, low-cost point-of-care diagnostics for pneumonia and cost-effective
oxygen delivery systems
- Raise awareness about the risk factors for pneumonia
- Ensure equitable and sustained access to prevention and treatment
strategies globally
In addition, vaccine education can be a pivotal tool in reducing
pneumonia-related deaths. There have been important advances with new
effective vaccines available against pneumonia, including pneumococcal
conjugate vaccine (PCV) and vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that
causes COVID-19. However, during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
PCV coverage dropped in 46 of 195 countries 
, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (
UNICEF) has predicted a large increase in child deaths if urgent action is not
taken to vaccinate these children. Currently, only 51% of the world’s
children
receive PCV .
A timely matter, pneumonia may have long-term consequences. Children who
have pneumonia in early life have an increased risk of developing chronic
lung disease such as asthma or COPD into adulthood.
Lack of medical oxygen has compounded the pneumonia emergency, with LMICs
bearing the brunt of oxygen shortages and related deaths.
“Although lack of oxygen has always been a key issue in LMICs, COVID
highlighted this gap, with oxygen unavailability and related deaths mainly
affecting LMICs,” said FIRS President, Professor Heather Zar. “There are an
estimated 7 million children hospitalized with pneumonia each year who
require oxygen, and studies show that better oxygen systems can reduce
mortality from childhood pneumonia by 50% or more.”
Further information
FIRS recommended actions to prevent pneumonia and pneumonia deaths:
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Vaccination programs against the common germs that cause pneumonia such
as pneumococcus, measles, Haemophilus Influenzae type b, pertussis
(whooping cough), diphtheria, influenza and SARS-CoV2 should be made
available.
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Good nutrition should be encouraged, including exclusive breastfeeding
for the first 4-6 months of life, adequate complementary feeding and
Vitamin A supplementation which may protect children from getting
pneumonia.
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People of all ages should avoid and be protected from exposure to
tobacco smoke and air pollution.
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Effective strategies to reduce pneumonia, include the prevention of
mother-to-child transmission of HIV, early use of antiretroviral
therapy in HIV-infected children, as well as cotrimoxazole prophylaxis
for HIV-infected children.
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All health services should ensure prompt access to antibiotics and
oxygen therapy for those with pneumonia.
The Global Impact of Respiratory Disease
report outlines major causes of respiratory disease and lays out
recommendations for global action.
More on World Pneumonia Day from
StopPneumonia.org.
About the Forum of International Respiratory Societies
The Forum of International Respiratory Societies
(FIRS) is an organisation comprised of the world's leading international
respiratory societies working together to improve lung health globally. The
goal of FIRS is to unify and enhance efforts to improve lung health through
the combined work of its more than 70,000 members globally.
FIRS comprises the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST), American
Thoracic Society (ATS), the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology (APSR),
Asociación Latinoamericana de Tórax (ALAT), European Respiratory Society
(ERS), International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The
Union), Pan African Thoracic Society (PATS), the Global Initiative for
Asthma (GINA) and the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung
Disease (GOLD).
About the American College of Chest Physicians
The American College of Chest Physicians® (CHEST) is the global
leader in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of chest diseases. Its
mission is to champion advanced clinical practice, education, communication
and research in chest medicine. It serves as an essential connection to
clinical knowledge and resources for its 19,000+ members from around the
world who provide patient care in pulmonary, critical care and sleep
medicine. For information about the American College of Chest Physicians,
and its flagship journal CHEST®, visit chestnet.org.