Is Pneumonia Contagious?

Pneumonia is an infection which affects the lower respiratory system or the

lungs. It can be present in one or both lung. Since this is an infection, like
some other infections, you might ask yourself is it possible to get infected
from a person who has it? There are some factors which are important when
talking about contagiousness and pneumonia. It is important to discover the
origin in order to prevent the infectivity of such.

Is Pneumonia Communicable Disease?

The answer is it could be. Depending on the cause, it can result in higher
infectivity. Whether it is bacteria, viruses or some fungi, it is important to
prevent the complications, and by that, also the spreading. In some cases,
the pneumonia is caused by some chemicals which can be toxins or other
inhaled substances which can cause an inflammation. In these cases, the
pneumonia is not contagious if there is no microorganism which can be
spread through the air.

How Pneumonia Gets Transmitted?

If the infection is caused by some microorganism, it gets transmitted via
droplet through the air when someone sneezes or even talk or breathe. It is
more likely to happen when you are less than 1,5 meters apart from the
person having the disease. The healthy person inhales the droplets and the
pathogens get inside the respiratory system. Not everyone will develop a
disease, but only those who have sensitive and weak immune system which
cant deal with intruders. If you are among those people who have weak
immune system and some earlier problem with your lungs, you may catch
the infection and it will develop into a full disease in a few days.

For How Long Is A Person

Suffering From Pneumonia?

Contagious

When

There are a few things to consider when discussing this topic. It is important
to include the cause of pneumonia and the state of the immune system of
the one carrying the disease. The bacterial infection is the most contagious
one. It is contagious as long as a person does not include antibiotics in their
treatment. When they start to intake the drug, the infectivity subsides within
1-2 days after the treatment. If the infection that we are talking about is
tuberculosis, the infectivity may take up to 2 weeks after the start of the
treatment.

Bacterial Pneumonia
There are a few bacteria which are common, some in adults while some are
more frequent among children. It is usually Streptococcus pneumoniae
among adults, H. influenzae type b among children. It can be also
Chlamydophila pneumonia or Legionella pneumophila. The other one which
is often among those who have a weak immune system is Pneumocystis
jiroveci.
The common thing in bacterial pneumonia is a high fever which is the most
important sign. It can be followed up with weakness, chest pain with heavy
breathing and burning sensation in the chest. The person can also have a
cough with colored expectoration which is usually yellow or green colour if
its bacterial infection. Other symptoms that may appear are rapid breathing
and shortness of breath and loss of appetite.

Viral Pneumonia
Viral pneumonia is common in children and it is not as serious as a bacterial
one. It is usually shorter but can increase the risk of superinfection
development. This is the bacterial infection which occurs secondary and can
be fatal and hard to treat. It is also contagious and can be more infective
than the bacterial ones. It has similar symptoms like flu which are a dry
cough, headache, fever, muscle pain and sore throat. There is also some
serious viral infection which can be worse than bacterial one. It can be flu
virus or respiratory syncytial virus. It can be extremely dangerous for people
who have a weak immune system or for pregnant women.

Fungal Pneumonia
Fungal pneumonia usually develops among those people who have weak
immune system. The cause of these can be Histoplasma, Cryptococcus or
Coccidioides. The symptoms are similar to the ones mentioned above such
as shortness of breath, fever, cough, fatigue. The only difference that fungal
pneumonia has when compared to the viral or bacterial pneumonia is that
the fungal infection is not contagious.

Aspiration Pneumonia
Aspiration pneumonia is not caused by microorganisms and it is not
contagious. It can be due to foreign substance inhalation where the object
gets into the lower respiratory system and causes inflammation. It needs
rapid treatment and can be fatal if it blocks the airway.

Pneumonia Treatment

When you feel like you have the flu, fatigue, cough, burning chest, higher
fever than 102F /39C, it is important to immediately contact your doctor
for proper treatment. It is most likely that you have developed bacterial
pneumonia and it needs urgent antibiotic therapy. There are some people
who are at a higher risk of getting it like elderly above 65 and children below
2, people who have weak immune system.
It can be treated at home or at the hospital, depending on the severity. The
doctor will usually prescribe a drug, whether it is an antibiotic or some
antiviral drug. Prior to treatment, it will be needed to do an X-ray
examination which will show which portion of your lungs is affected and how
serious the disease is.

Pneumonia Prevention
You can prevent pneumonia one hundred percent, but there are some ways
you can protect yourself. Some of these things include vaccination and
hygiene.
Vaccination usually occurs among those people who are at a higher risk of
getting pneumonia. Those are, as we mentioned above, elderly, children and
pregnant women. In some cases, health professionals may receive the
vaccine as well since they are among the sick ones and it is a higher chance
of getting the infection.
The good hygiene is important not only due to pneumonia infection but
because of prevention of many communicable diseases which can be
transferred by hands or respiratory tract. Wash your hands regularly, cover
your mouth when sneezing or coughing, use your own cups, utensils, and
other personal stuff.