Realitarakyat.com – Pediatrician Dr. Amiruddin Laompo, Sp.A (K) said pneumonia could be prevented by improving nutritional status or immunizing children.
“In fact, pneumonia can be prevented by improving nutritional status or by immunizing, and many drugs are also available in doctors’ offices or hospitals,” he said in a discussion on “Pneumonia, why is it dangerous?” as part of World Pneumonia Day which was followed online in Jakarta, Thursday (10/11).
Amiruddin said pneumonia is an acute infectious disease that spreads from person to person and attacks the lungs. Many of the causes start with viruses and bacteria, or with chemicals.
However, pneumonia is more easily transmitted through the air due to splashes of bacteria and viruses from the sufferer who coughs or sneezes.
“Pneumonia is transmitted very easily through the air because through the splashes of patients who cough, sneeze or even speak, viruses or bacteria can come out of the patient’s mouth,” he said.
He said airborne transmission has caused quite a high number of pneumonia cases in Indonesia and around the world. So it is very necessary to use a mask outdoors or near people so that the bacteria that cause pneumonia do not enter the airways.
“Because anyone close to the patient can easily get into a healthy person’s lungs so that they can become infected, the incidence is quite high. So it’s very appropriate if we wear masks, ”Amiruddin said.
Pneumonia attacks the airways much lower even at the end of the airways and attacks the air sacs in the lungs. Therefore pneumonia can be dangerous because it interferes with the exchange of oxygen and CO2 in the lungs.
If it is determined that you have pneumonia, the hospital will immediately administer antibiotics because 60-70% of the causes of this respiratory tract infection are from bacteria.
Also, Amiruddin said, pneumonia can disrupt all metabolism in the patient’s body because the respiratory system is disrupted and can be life-threatening.
“Because there is a disturbance in the exchange of oxygen and CO2 so that it can interfere with all metabolism in the body, so it can threaten the life of a patient, especially if for example a small child under 1 year old,” he said. .
Pneumonia is different from the common cold or the common cold that attacks the upper respiratory tract. If treated quickly and appropriately, the chances of developing pneumonia will be reduced.
“In general, nearly 90 percent occurs initially due to the common cold, after a while it becomes pneumonia because the bacteria sink to the bottom, this must be a problem,” he said.
