Pneumonia Articles

Science & Innovation

How Maternal Immunization Works and Why It's Important for Your Child

The instinct to protect a baby starts when it's in the womb. Some of the most common ways a mother does this is through receiving regular prenatal care, taking prenatal vitamins, and prioritizing a healthy diet and rest. A less frequently discussed, but equally crucial, step that mothers-to-be can take is getting themselves vaccinated during pregnancy. Even a brief look at the history of maternal immunization reveals that the antibodies provided by vaccination can be one of the greatest gifts a...

Science & Innovation

Maternal Immunization: Protecting Children from RSV and GBS

In the first few months of their lives, infants experience new sights, sounds, scents, and textures. During this time, they also make contact with new organisms. It takes up to three months for portions of infants’ still-developing immune systems to mature.1 During these early weeks and months, infants are too young to receive their first vaccines, leaving them vulnerable to developing serious infections.2Most pregnant people transmit antibodies to their developing fetuses naturally starting in...

Acute vs. Chronic Cough: What Is It Really Trying To Tell You?

Want to be the least popular person in a crowd? Start coughing. You will surely draw the attention of everyone within earshot—and probably not in a good way. You may even notice people inching away from you and your perceived germs, (whether real or not). But, if strangers can interpret the signs and symptoms of a cough so quickly, why are we sometimes last to pay attention to it? Here’s what’s true: A cough is an important symptom that’s trying to tell you something.The Anatomy of a CoughYour...

Adult Vaccination in Communities of Color

Each year, thousands of adults suffer from serious infectious diseases that in severe cases can result in hospitalization or even death. Even though there are vaccines available to help prevent a number of these potentially serious diseases, vaccination rates among U.S. adults remain low—lagging well behind federal goals and expert recommendations. Older African Americans and Hispanics are less likely than white adults to be vaccinated, leaving them at greater risk. And, with chronic diseases...

Living & Wellbeing

Viral vs. Bacterial Pneumonia: Understanding the Difference

Having pneumonia can be frightening because this illness directly impacts one vital function — our breathing. For those who are at high risk of getting pneumonia and the complications that may accompany it, it is very important to make an accurate diagnosis.According to the World Health Organization’s most current statistical data, pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death in children — responsible for 18% of all deaths in children under age five. Many of these outcomes can be prevented...

The Long, Meticulous, and Sometimes Perilous Journey of an International Vaccine

People wait for vaccinations at a health center in Lome, Togo. (S. Caillet/BSIP/Science Photo Library) About half the world’s vaccines go to sub-Saharan Africa. Time and temperature can make getting them there safely tricky. Refrigerators and preservatives aren’t just for food. Medicines need to stay at safe temperatures, too. This can be especially tricky when about half the world’s people who need vaccines live in sub-Saharan Africa, where the daytime temperature most often hovers around...