What is Pneumococcal Pneumonia

This is a lung disease. The pneumococcal kind can infect the upper respiratory tract and can spread to the blood, lungs, middle ear, or nervous system.

Pneumococcal pneumonia mainly causes illness in children younger than 2 years old and adults 65 years of age or older. The elderly are especially at risk of getting seriously ill and dying from this disease.

In addition, people with certain medical conditions such as chronic heart, lung, or liver diseases or sickle cell anemia are also at increased risk for getting this disease. People with HIV infection, AIDS, or people who have had organ transplants and are taking medicines that lower their resistance to infection are also at high risk of getting this

Cause

Pneumonia can be caused by a variety of viruses, bacteria, and sometimes fungi. This disease is caused by bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae also called pneumococcus.

Transmission

Pneumococcus is spread through contact between people who are ill or who carry the bacteria in their throat. You can get pneumococcal pneumonia from respiratory droplets from the nose or mouth of an infected person. It is common for people, especially children, to carry the bacteria in their throats without being sick.

			Topic: Pneumonia