Bangkok--7 Nov--Bangkok Public Relations
Department of Disease Control found nearly 100,000 patients in Thailand from January — August 2013, with the elderly, aged 65 years and older, suffering most1
At-risk groups are chronic patients with diabetes, heart disease and cancer who are susceptible to pneumococcal infection, a major cause of pneumonia2
Celebrities on alert, Pimdao-Kleddao Panichsamai and Hattaya Wongkrajang join discussion on pneumonia prevention and adult health care
November 12, ‘World Pneumonia Day’ designated by WHO
Pfizer (Thailand) Limited, one of Thailand’s largest research-based biopharmaceutical companies, today held the ‘Know to Prevent Pneumonia’ seminar to share knowledge about the dangers of pneumonia while raising awareness of prevention as part of the effort to reduce the number of pneumonia patients which is a national health concern. The Bureau of Epidemiology, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health reported that during 1 January — 4 August 2013, there were 99,670 pneumonia patients around the country, a ratio of 156.90 per 100,000 population. Of the patients, 581 later died. The age group with the highest number of patients were adults, aged 65 years and older with 30.50% suffering from the illness.1
The seminar was attended by Prof. Terapong Tantawichien, MD, an expert on infectious diseases, who shared his knowledge on pneumococcus, a major cause of pneumonia. Also joining the discussion were celebrity daughter-mom Pimdao and Kleddao Panichsamai and radio station executive Hattaya Wongkrajang. Mr. Christian Malherbe, Pfizer (Thailand) Limited’s Country Manager welcomed the guests.
Mr. Christian Malherbe, Country Manager of Pfizer (Thailand) Limited, said, “Pfizer is committed to improving people’s lives. Our ongoing research on quality drugs aims to ensure good heath for the people of Thailand and around the world. Pneumonia is one of the health threats for people today. Realizing that disease prevention is important, we decided to come up with a campaign to share knowledge on how to prevent the disease and to take care of health, especially for those at risk.”
Prof. Dr. Terapong Tantawichien said, “Pneumonia is a quiet threat. Most people are therefore not prepared to deal with it because, in the beginning, the symptoms are similar to a common cold. In fact, pneumonia is very similar to influenza, which is common in the rainy season. Flu patients are also at risk of contracting pneumococcus, which is a major cause of pneumonia. If the germ is very potent, it may lead to other diseases such as meningitis, bacteremia and middle ear infection as well as Invasive Pneumococcal Disease (IPD). In flu patients, flu germs may damage the bronchial and pulmonary tissues allowing pneumococcus in the throat and nasal lining to slip into the bronchia and lungs and cause serious lung infection that eventually leads to pneumonia and respiratory system failure.”
“Pneumococcus causes millions of deaths globally, especially among adults, aged 50 years and older, and children under 5 years of age.3 These two groups have weak immunity making them more vulnerable to infections. Also at risk are patients with other underlying diseases and chronic illnesses. U.S. data during 1999-2000 shows that among patients aged 18 years old and older with a chronic disease, those with diabetes, heart disease and cancer are at higher risk of getting pneumococcus by 3.4, 6.4 and 22.9 times respectively,”2 said Prof. Dr. Terapong.
Pneumococcus can infect the respiratory system through coughing, sneezing and contact with spray of phlegm from patients. Although infection can be treated using antibiotics, it is found that pneumococcus is resistant to several antibiotics making treatment not as effective as it should be. This can lead to longer treatment period and increased expenses. Therefore, it is important to protect and keep the body immune to infection. Members of the public, regardless of age, from small children to working adults and the elderly, can seek expert advice from a doctor for ways to prevent pneumonia.
Since pneumonia is a global health issue causing millions of deaths annually, the World Health Organization (WHO) and 140 partner organizations have designated 12 November of every year ‘World Pneumonia Day’ to raise awareness of pneumonia and pneumonia prevention in order to reduce the number of patients.
In Thailand, there is a very high rate of pneumonia. Data compiled by the Bureau of Epidemiology, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health showed that the number of pneumonia patients increased in the rainy season from August to October and during the period of cold spell in January to early March1. Taking appropriate precautions and helping to look after members of the family is another way to reduce the number of patients.
Ms. Hattaya Wongkrajang said, “The older you are, the more necessary it is for you to take care of your health. Most people believe that if they still can work and their body is still strong, that they cannot fall sick. But the body can get weak and the immune system may not be strong enough to fight germs. And the older one gets, the more time it takes for the body to heal. So, I would like to ask especially the not-so-young to take care of your health early because you don’t want to fall ill for a long time. Not only does it make you weaker physically, it also makes you feel low and you will not be able to do your job to the full.”
Ms. Pimdao Panichsami, who was at the seminar with her mother Ms. Kleddao, said, “Most people are more concerned about pneumonia in small children. In fact, everybody is at risk when it comes to infectious diseases. So, I’d like to ask everybody to take care of members of their family. My mom, for example, looks after everything to ensure her daughters stay well and healthy. She makes sure I get good rest and that I look after myself well. Since it is your parents who always look after you, it is time to look after them in return.”
Ms. Kleddao Panichsamai said, “As mother and wife, you need to look after everybody in the family in every aspect. Always concerned for their health, it is best to give them and yourself a health shield.
According to Prof. Dr. Terapong, to prevent pneumonia, apart from being mindful of hygiene, following a nutritional diet, avoiding crowded places and avoiding coming into contact or sharing utensils with patients, there are two most widely used types of vaccines to stop pneumococcus:
1. Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine. This type of vaccine can be given to people 2 years of age and older. It is mainly used with adults.
2. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for 10 serotypes of pneumococcus is approved for vaccination against pneumococcal disease in children aged 6 weeks to 5 years. Another type for 13 pneumococcal serotypes is approved for people from 6 weeks to older.
Prof. Dr. Terapong said, “As pneumococcal vaccines are alternative vaccines, consumers should seek a doctor’s advice to evaluate their cost effectiveness and possible side effects such as swelling at the injection site, which is usually not serious and can go away in 2-3 days.”
“Pfizer’s main goal is to be the Thai people’s companion in health care. We remain committed to continued research and development to provide safe and quality drugs for disease prevention and treatment to reduce the incidence of illnesses in line with our mission to keep Thai people healthy,” Mr. Malherbe concluded.
1 Bureau of Information, Office of the Permanent Secretary for Public Health
http://www.moph.go.th/ops/prg/include/admin_hotnew/show_hotnew.php?idHot_new=57559
2 Kyaw MH, Rose CE, Jr., Fry AM, Singleton JA, Moore Z, Zell ER, et al. The influence of
chronic illnesses on the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease in adults. J Infect Dis.
2005;192(3):377-86.
3 Information by Prof. Terapong Tantawichien, MD, an expert on infectious diseases
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