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Pneumoni A Serious Infectious Disease

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Pneumonia Pneumonia is a very serious infectious disease of the lungs that can be caused by bacteria, viruses, and sometimes even fungi. Pneumonia is dangerous to all but mostly dangerous to the very young, and the very old. Until a vaccine was invented for the disease, there was a time it was killing more people than tuberculosis. Due to the vaccination, the amount of cases reported in the United States has dropped drastically. Common signs and symptoms of pneumonia are coughing, fevering, trouble breathing, and chest pain. Pneumonia, sometimes call pneumonitis, is an inflammation of alveoli or air sacs leading to them filling up with fluid making it difficult to for them to expand with air. It is crucial for them to do this since the …show more content…

“In the United States, common causes of viral pneumonia are influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and a common cause of bacterial pneumonia is Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus)” (Pneumonia Can Be Prevented). Bacterial pneumonia is the most common cause of pneumonia in adults whereas viral pneumonia is the most common cause in children, especially in children under the age of 2 years. Bacterial infections often only effect on section, or lobe, known as lober pneumonia. Another bacteria like organism called mycoplasma is the cause of walking pneumonia. “Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) was discovered in 1944 in a patient with “atypical” pneumonia. It was first thought to be a virus or fungus, which is why the name “mycoplasma” (Greek for “fungus-formed”) was chosen. It was eventually learned to be a bacterium, but unlike many other bacteria, it has many unique characteristics. For example, it does not have a rigid cell wall, which affects the types of antibiotics that work well against it. This is why it is classified as an “atypical” bacterium. It is also the smallest organism capable of living and reproducing on its own” (History & Disease Patterns). Walking pneumonia is not very dangerous and when people have it most dismiss it as the common cold. Pneumonia caused by a virus in children generally occurs during or shortly after another illness such as the cold,

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