Bronchopneumonia at 10x Magnification

Infants and the elderly are particularly susceptible to bronchopneumonia, but anyone may contract the disease. Pneumococcal vaccinations are recommended for individuals in high-risk groups and provide up to 80 percent effectiveness in staving off pneumococcal pneumonia. Influenza vaccinations are also frequently of use in decreasing one’s susceptibility to pneumonia, since the flu precedes pneumonia development in many cases. Vaccinations are often credited with significantly decreasing the threat of pneumonia, as are antibiotics. In the first half of the twentieth century before antibiotic drugs were developed, approximately one-third of all people who contracted pneumonia died of the disease. Today, more than 95 percent of all patients recover when they receive proper medical treatment. Nevertheless, pneumonia is still a highly destructive force, together with influenza ranking as the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.