This week, presidential candidate Hillary
Clinton made news -- not for what she said, but for her health.
Her political campaign announced that Clinton
had pneumonia after she appeared weak at a public event in New York City. The
former Secretary of State left the event suddenly. A video showed several
people helping her into a waiting vehicle.
So, what is pneumonia? And how does it spread?
Simply stated, pneumonia is an infection of
the lungs. It is treatable and preventable. However, pneumonia is the leading
cause of death among children under five. And it was still responsible for
nearly one million deaths in 2015. That information comes from the World Health
Organization.
Pneumonia most often results from a bacteria
called the Streptococcus pneumoniae. But
viruses like influenza, and even fungi can
cause pneumonia. Bacterial pneumonia is the most common kind of the disease.
Pneumonia can often result from the flu.
Once the disease gets in a person's lungs, the
air sacs, or alveoli, that take in oxygen, fill up with fluid. This makes
breathing difficult and painful. It can limit the amount of oxygen a person
takes into their body with each breath. It also causes coughing and an increase in body
temperature. This makes the person feel cold.
Those most at risk are the very young, the
older adults (over the age of 65) and anyone with a weak immune system.
Identification
and Treatment
The signs of pneumonia look like those of the
flu and the common cold. So, it is best to seek out trained medical help.
The American Lung Association says a doctor
will listen to your lungs for "crackling, bubbling, and rumbling sounds" while you breathe. A follow up chest
X-ray test may also be necessary.
For viral pneumonia, doctors can tell the
patient to take anti-viral medication. The disease can often last 1-3 weeks in
people, who are generally healthy.
For people who get bacterial pneumonia,
treatment for mild cases can include antibiotics, rest and fluids. The recovery
time is similar to that for viral pneumonia.
Mycoplasma
pneumoniae is another bacterial form of the disease, and known as
“walking pneumonia.” It is generally mild, but a full recovery may take an
extended period of time, especially for the young, unhealthy and older adults.
Prevention
Preventing pneumonia requires the same steps
used to prevent colds and the flu.
The American Lung Association states that
pneumonia is often spread through coughing or even breathing. The group warns
that people who don't show signs of pneumonia can also spread the disease.
It urges Americans to get a flu vaccination
every year. In addition, "Children younger than 5, and adults 65 and older
should get vaccinated against pneumococcal pneumonia."
The American Lung Association also urges
people to wash your hands early and often, don't smoke and get plenty of rest
and exercise.
I'm Ashley Thompson.
Kevin Enochs
reported on this story for VOANews.com. Anna Matteo adapted this story for
Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
- Words in This Story.
-
fungi - n. plural for the word fungus. any one of a group of living things that often look like plants, but have no flowers, and that live on dead or decaying thingscoughing - v. forcing air through one's throat with short, loud noisesimmune system - n. the body's natural defenses against diseasecrackling - adj. a series of short, sharp noisesbubbling - adj. of or related to small balls of air or gas inside a liquidrumbling - adj. a low, heavy sound or series of sounds
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