Pneumonia Concerns

According to a report by the World Health Organization in 2018, lower respiratory infections are now the fourth most fatal disease for humans, mainly caused by pneumonia. In China, data shows that the mortality rate of the elderly who are infected by pneumonia is 36 percent, and it rises to 50 percent for those above 80. The China Health Statistical Yearbook in 2015 shows that 63 percent of pneumonia patients are children under five and 16.7 percent are elderly people above 60. In comparison with Western countries, it is common for Chinese grandparents to take care of children, which has substantially increased the chance of cross-infection of pneumonia. To make matters worse, pneumonia usually brings a heavier burden to families than some chronic diseases, including cancer.