Early treatment may be key to stemming pneumonia deaths

As pneumonia remains a leading cause of death in South Africa, experts stress that early treatment is key to heading off this killer infection.

Health-e, 12 November 2014

Pneumonia is the largest single cause of death in children worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. In South Africa, pneumonia - together with influenza - is the second leading natural cause of death and was responsible for about 7 percent of deaths in 2011, according to figures released by Statistics South Africa this year. Today, 12 November, is World Pneumonia Day. HIV-positive infants are particularly vulnerable to developing pneumonia due to their compromised immune systems, according to Head of University of Cape Town's Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Dr Heather Zar.

Meanwhile, the key to preventing pneumonia deaths is early treatment, according to University of the Witwatersrand professor and pulmonologist, Dr Mervyn Mer.
"We need to pick pneumonia early and treat it early," said Mer, speaking at a recent media briefing organised by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. "If we got our healthcare system in order, and people who are diagnosed with pneumonia get their first dose of antibiotics in the first two hours, we could salvage these patients..."

Pfizer Country Brand Leader Victor Behrens added that pneumonia has far reaching consequences. "Pneumonia creates an economic burden for families, communities and the government," he told OurHealth. "At the individual level, it can have dramatic effects on a person's life, including long-term, health-related complications."

Bacteria, viruses and fungi are just some of the causes of pneumonia, according to the US-based Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.