Quick answer (TL;DR): Pneumonia is a lung infection that fills the air sacs with fluid or pus and makes breathing painful. Children under 5 and adults over 65 are at greatest risk. In a child under 5, cough or difficult breathing with fast breathing or a pulling-in of the lower chest means pneumonia, and the child needs care now. Vaccines, exclusive breastfeeding, good nutrition, cleaner air and handwashing prevent many cases, and antibiotics treat bacterial pneumonia.
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What is pneumonia?
Pneumonia is a form of acute respiratory infection that affects the lungs. The lungs are made up of small sacs called alveoli, which fill with air when a healthy person breathes. In pneumonia, the alveoli fill with pus and fluid, which makes breathing painful and limits oxygen intake.
The NHS describes it more simply: pneumonia is inflammation of the lungs, usually caused by an infection. Some people need antibiotics, and babies, older people and people with heart or lung conditions are at risk of becoming seriously ill and may need treatment in hospital.
Why does World Pneumonia Day matter?
World Pneumonia Day is observed every year on 12 November. In 2026 it falls on Thursday, 12 November, and the theme is "A New Era of Pneumonia Control", in recognition of recent progress in vaccines, diagnostic tools and treatments.
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths from pneumonia, all ages, 2023 | About 2.5 million | Global Burden of Disease, reported by Every Breath Counts |
| Deaths in children under 5, 2023 | About 610,000 | Global Burden of Disease, reported by Every Breath Counts |
| Deaths in children under 5, 2019 | 740,180, which is 14% of all deaths under 5 and 22% of deaths at ages 1 to 5 | WHO |
The figures differ because they come from different years and estimation methods. Deaths among children are highest in southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Pneumonia is also not only a childhood illness: the very young and the very old are at greatest risk.
What causes pneumonia?
Pneumonia is caused by several infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria and fungi. The most common causes in children, according to WHO, are:
- Streptococcus pneumoniae, the most common cause of bacterial pneumonia in children
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), the second most common bacterial cause
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the most common viral cause
- Pneumocystis jirovecii, a common cause in infants infected with HIV
In adults, pneumonia is usually caused by a bacterial or viral infection. You can sometimes get pneumonia after another infection such as flu, RSV or COVID-19. Fungal infections are rare in healthy people. Pneumonia can also follow something getting into the lungs, such as food or water, which is called aspiration pneumonia.
How does pneumonia spread?
Viruses and bacteria that live in a child's nose or throat can infect the lungs if they are inhaled. They can also spread through airborne droplets from a cough or sneeze. In newborns, pneumonia may spread through the blood, especially during and shortly after birth. This is why covering coughs and sneezes, washing hands and avoiding close contact while ill all help.
What are the signs of pneumonia?
Signs in adults
Symptoms can start suddenly or gradually over a few days. According to the NHS, they can include:
- A cough, which may bring up yellow or green mucus
- Shortness of breath
- A high temperature
- Chest pain, which may be worse when breathing in deeply or coughing
- An aching body, feeling very tired and loss of appetite
- Wheezing when you breathe (babies may also make grunting noises)
- Feeling confused, which is common in older people
In older adults the signs can be less typical. The temperature may not rise much, and new confusion, drowsiness or a fall may be the main sign.
Signs in children under 5
The signs of viral and bacterial pneumonia are similar. In a child under 5 with cough or difficult breathing, with or without fever, WHO says pneumonia is diagnosed by either fast breathing or lower chest wall indrawing, where the lower chest moves in when the child breathes in. Wheezing is more common in viral infections.
| Age of the child | Breathing is fast if it is |
|---|---|
| Under 2 months | 60 breaths a minute or more |
| 2 to 11 months | 50 breaths a minute or more |
| 12 months to 5 years | 40 breaths a minute or more |
Count the breaths for a full minute while the child is calm and not crying. Fever and crying can speed up breathing, so a health worker will check again if needed. A child with a cough or cold who does not breathe fast and whose chest does not pull in usually does not have pneumonia.
A very sick infant may be unable to feed or drink, and may become unconscious, cold or have convulsions. These are emergency signs, so seek care at once.
Who is at higher risk of pneumonia?
Most healthy children can fight the infection with their natural defences, but children with weakened immune systems are at higher risk. Malnutrition weakens a child's defences, especially in infants who are not exclusively breastfed. Illnesses such as symptomatic HIV infection and measles also raise the risk.
Environmental factors also increase the risk:
- Indoor air pollution from cooking and heating with biomass fuels such as wood or dung
- Crowded homes
- Parental smoking
In adults, the risk is higher after age 65 and for people with cardiovascular disease or a long-term lung condition.
How can pneumonia be prevented?
WHO says immunization is the most effective way to prevent pneumonia in children, using vaccines against Hib, pneumococcus, measles and whooping cough (pertussis). In Bangladesh, the Hib vaccine was added to the national immunization programme (EPI) in 2009, inside the pentavalent vaccine, and the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in 2015. Children receive them at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age, and the measles-rubella vaccine at 9 and 15 months. Schedules can change, so check with your local EPI centre or health worker. For another example of how vaccines protect children, see our World Polio Day 2026 guide.
Adults at higher risk, such as older people and people with long-term conditions, may be advised to have pneumococcal, flu, RSV or COVID-19 vaccines. Eligibility and availability differ by country, so ask a doctor which are right for you.
Other steps that help, according to WHO and the NHS:
- Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, which helps prevent pneumonia and can shorten the illness if a child does become ill
- Adequate nutrition for the whole family. See our 10 evidence-based nutrition tips.
- Handwashing with soap and good hygiene in crowded homes
- Reducing household air pollution, for example by using cleaner indoor stoves
- Not smoking, which also lowers your own chance of getting pneumonia
- Covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue and putting used tissues in the bin quickly
In children with HIV, WHO notes that the antibiotic cotrimoxazole is given daily to lower the risk of pneumonia.
How is pneumonia treated?
Pneumonia caused by bacteria is treated with antibiotics. For children, the first-line antibiotic recommended by WHO is amoxicillin dispersible tablets. Most cases need only oral antibiotics, often prescribed at a health centre, and trained community health workers can diagnose and treat many cases with inexpensive oral antibiotics. Hospital care is recommended only for severe cases.
In adults, bacterial pneumonia is usually treated with antibiotics, and most people get better in 2 to 4 weeks. In hospital, treatment may also include oxygen, a chest X-ray and blood tests. You may need hospital treatment if you are over 65, have cardiovascular disease or a long-term lung condition, are very unwell, are not getting better after taking antibiotics, or if your baby or young child has pneumonia.
If you are given antibiotics to take at home, keep taking them until you have finished them all, even if you start to feel better. Contact your doctor if you do not feel any better after 2 to 3 days. Do not start antibiotics on your own and do not share them. The right treatment depends on the cause, and a clinician needs to judge how severe the illness is.
When should you seek care for pneumonia?
| Level | Signs | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency | Struggling to breathe, choking or gasping, unable to speak; pale, blue or blotchy skin, lips or tongue; sudden confusion; a baby who cannot be woken or feels floppy; in a child, being unable to drink or breastfeed, convulsions or unconsciousness | Call your local emergency number or go to emergency care at once. Do not drive yourself; ask someone to drive you and bring any medicines you take. |
| Urgent, the same day | Coughing up blood; chest pain that comes and goes or happens when breathing or coughing; feeling short of breath; in a child under 5, fast breathing for their age or the lower chest pulling in | See a doctor or health worker today. |
| Get checked soon | A cough that lasts 2 weeks or more (NHS advice is 3 weeks or more) | See a doctor. In Bangladesh, a cough of 2 weeks or more should also be checked for TB at a health facility or DOTS centre. |
What helps recovery at home?
- Rest until you feel better, and stay at home if you have a high temperature or do not feel well enough for normal activities.
- Drink plenty of fluids. For a sick child, keep breastfeeding and keep offering fluids and food.
- Take paracetamol or ibuprofen for pain or a high temperature, if you have been told you can. For children, doses depend on weight, so ask a doctor, pharmacist or health worker.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, put used tissues in the bin quickly and wash your hands with soap.
The NHS advises against taking cough medicine, because coughing helps your body get rid of the infection. Do not smoke.
What pneumonia myths do people believe in the community?
From my community health work, these are the beliefs about pneumonia I hear most often, and what the evidence says.
"Pneumonia is only a disease of children and old people."
Children under 5 and adults over 65 are at greatest risk, but pneumonia can affect anyone. People with heart or lung conditions, smokers and people with weakened immunity are also at higher risk, and any adult can catch it after flu, RSV or COVID-19.
"Drinking cold water or getting wet in the rain causes pneumonia."
Pneumonia is caused by germs, not by cold water or rain. People do spend more time indoors and close together in colder months, which helps infections spread. If you or your child get a cough, fever or fast breathing, seek care instead of blaming the water.
"Any cough or cold means pneumonia."
Most coughs and colds are mild viral infections. In a child, look for the signs of pneumonia: fast breathing for the child's age or the lower chest pulling in. In adults, watch for shortness of breath, chest pain and a high temperature. If those signs are present, or the illness is getting worse, see a health worker.
"A person with pneumonia should not be given milk, eggs or bananas, because they make phlegm collect in the chest."
The Mayo Clinic says drinking milk does not make the body produce phlegm, and a review of the evidence found no link between milk and extra mucus. I did not find reliable evidence that eggs or bananas cause phlegm either. A sick person needs fluids and nutritious food to recover, and a baby should keep breastfeeding. If a child vomits or chokes on feeds, give smaller amounts more often and tell the health worker.
"If you use a nebulizer once, it becomes a lifelong habit."
A nebulizer is only a device that turns liquid medicine into a mist you can breathe in. Respiratory medicines delivered this way are not addictive. Even so, a nebulizer is not needed for every pneumonia, because bacterial pneumonia is treated with antibiotics. Use one only when a doctor prescribes it, and do not overuse reliever medicines. If someone needs it again and again, ask a doctor to look for the reason, such as asthma.
"After vaccination, you can never get pneumonia."
Vaccines protect against specific germs such as pneumococcus, Hib, measles and flu. They greatly lower the risk and the severity of the illness, but they cannot prevent every case, because other germs can also cause pneumonia. Keep up the other protective habits, and seek care if the signs appear.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is pneumonia contagious?
The germs that cause pneumonia can spread through droplets from coughs and sneezes. Not everyone who catches these germs develops pneumonia, but covering coughs, washing hands and staying home while ill reduce the risk for others.
How long does pneumonia take to get better?
It depends on the cause and how severe the illness is. The NHS says most people get better in 2 to 4 weeks, although a cough and tiredness can last longer. If symptoms are not improving, or they get worse, seek medical advice again.
Can a vaccine prevent pneumonia?
Vaccines cannot prevent every case, but according to WHO, vaccination against Hib, pneumococcus, measles and whooping cough is the most effective way to prevent pneumonia in children. Adults at higher risk may also need pneumococcal, flu, RSV or COVID-19 vaccines, depending on local guidance. Ask a doctor or health worker which vaccines suit you and your child.
Do I need antibiotics for pneumonia?
Only a clinician can decide that. Bacterial pneumonia is usually treated with antibiotics, while viral pneumonia is not. Do not start antibiotics on your own, and do not use leftover antibiotics or share them with someone else.
When should a child be seen urgently?
A child under five with cough or difficult breathing needs to be seen the same day if they breathe fast for their age or the lower chest pulls in when they breathe. Seek emergency care at once if the child cannot drink or breastfeed, cannot be woken, feels floppy or has convulsions.
Can pneumonia be treated at home?
Many people recover at home with rest, fluids and antibiotics when prescribed. Hospital care is needed for severe breathlessness, low oxygen or dehydration, or if you are in a higher-risk group, such as being over 65, having heart or lung disease, or being a baby or young child.
Is a long-lasting cough always pneumonia?
No. A cough that lasts 2 weeks or more has several possible causes, including tuberculosis (TB). In Bangladesh, health workers advise a TB check for a cough of 2 weeks or more, and tests are available free of cost at DOTS centres. See a doctor or health worker for any long-lasting cough.
The bottom line
Pneumonia is preventable and treatable, yet it still claims millions of lives, most of them among the very young and the very old. On World Pneumonia Day, 12 November 2026, act on the simple things that work: keep vaccinations up to date, breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months where possible, eat well, wash hands, reduce smoke and indoor air pollution, and do not delay care when breathing becomes difficult, chest pain appears, or a child breathes fast or cannot feed. Early recognition and timely treatment save lives.
Sources
- World Health Organization: Pneumonia in children, fact sheet
- NHS: Pneumonia
- Every Breath Counts Coalition: World Pneumonia Day
- World Health Organization guidance on childhood pneumonia, fast breathing by age (NCBI Bookshelf)
- Mayo Clinic: Does drinking milk increase phlegm?
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: Asthma myths and facts
- The Business Standard: Immunization in Bangladesh, Hib (2009) and PCV (2015) introduction
- Jagonews24: Child immunisation schedule in Bangladesh
- medRxiv preprint: Tuberculosis in Bangladesh, DOTS centres and cough of 2 weeks or more
General information only, not medical, healthcare, or psychological advice. Check current medical guidelines with a certified physician or licensed healthcare provider before acting on anything published here. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you read on this site.
