Winter brings more than just holiday cheer—it also ushers in the season for respiratory illnesses that can leave you feeling anything but festive. With cold, flu, and COVID-19 season arriving, it's crucial to understand another serious respiratory infection: pneumonia. This condition affects millions of people each year, but knowledge and prevention can help protect you and your family.

What is Pneumonia?

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that can be caused by many different germs, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. While bacteria and viruses are the most common culprits, the specific germs that cause pneumonia can vary depending on whether you catch the infection in the community or in health care settings.

Community-acquired pneumonia, the most common type, develops when someone gets infected outside of a hospital setting. Health care-acquired pneumonia occurs during or after a stay in a care facility, while ventilator-associated pneumonia affects patients who require breathing support.

The Symptoms

Common symptoms of pneumonia include:

• Chest pain when breathing or coughing
• Confusion or altered mental state
• Persistent cough
• Fatigue
• Fever or chills
• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
• Shortness of breath

It's important to note that symptoms can vary by person. If you or a loved one notice these warning signs, especially difficulty breathing or persistent fever, seek medical attention right away.

Who’s at Risk?

Certain ages, medical conditions, and behaviors can increase your chance of developing pneumonia. Young children, older adults, and people with chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes, or heart disease face higher risk. Adults aged 50 and older are 6.4 times more likely to develop pneumococcal pneumonia than younger adults aged 18-49, and for those 65 and older, the risk of hospitalization increases more than tenfold.

It's especially important to be aware of pneumonia as respiratory illnesses peak during colder months. Common winter illnesses, including influenza, COVID-19, and RSV, can lead to pneumonia as a complication. These infections spread easily in crowded settings like schools and through close contact with people who are sick. This makes prevention strategies even more critical.

Staying Safe

The good news is that there are effective ways to protect yourself. Vaccines can help prevent infection by some of the bacteria and viruses that can cause pneumonia. In fact, updated CDC guidelines lowered the recommended age for pneumococcal vaccination from 65 to 50 years old. This updated guidance gives more people the opportunity to protect themselves before their risk significantly increases. Additionally, vaccination for flu, COVID-19 and RSV can protect against the most common types of viral pneumonia. 

Beyond vaccination, you should also:

• Wash your hands regularly with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizers to kill germs
• Avoid people who are sick
• Stay away from others when you're sick to prevent spreading illness
• Quit smoking (smoking prevents your lungs from properly defending against germs)

Stay Protected with AltaMed

In winter, and every season, AltaMed is here to help you grow healthy. We offer CDC-recommended vaccinations, including flu, COVID-19, RSV, and pneumococcal. Our clinics are in your neighborhood, so care is never far away. Ready to make an appointment? Visit our Getting Started page or call us at (888) 499-9303.