World Pneumonia Day is observed on Nov. 12 to raise awareness about the deadly respiratory disease- pneumonia, which is recognized as the world's biggest infectious killer of adults and children.

World Pneumonia Day was established by the Stop Pneumonia initiative in 2009, to advocate for global action to end pneumonia that has claimed around 2.5 million lives, including 672,000 children, in 2019.

This year, the day falls during the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 making it relevant to think about the role of air quality and pollution in the context of infectious disease. This year's theme: “Stop Pneumonia, Every breath counts," calls for improving air quality as pollution is a leading cause of pneumonia deaths across all age groups. According to statistics, around 749,200 pneumonia deaths in 2019 were caused due to polluted air.

"This is a critical moment to bring together the health, air quality and climate community to tackle the biggest infectious killer on the planet," said the Stop Pneumonia initiative that aims to bring an end to pneumonia deaths by 2030.

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Here are some quotes about Pneumonia that will help you understand the importance of curbing the deadly infectious disease:

  1. "By preventing pneumonia and other diseases, we are giving men, women and children the chance to live healthy productive lives and participate in the global economy. In doing so, we are not only enhancing their futures - we are enhancing our own."-Mandy Moore
  2. "I don't think people really take pneumonia seriously when they hear it. But people really die from pneumonia: kids, older people, even just regular-aged people. They just die from pneumonia."-JaVale McGee
  3. "Pneumococcal disease is a real threat. Pneumococcal disease is a bacterial infection that causes anything from middle ear infection to pneumonia to meningitis. Children are particularly vulnerable to it, but adults can get the pneumococcal disease themselves." -Anthony Fauci
  4. The biggest killers of children around the world are two things: diarrhea and pneumonia. When you think about it, in the United States, kids don't die of diarrhea anymore, but it's a huge problem in the developing world."-Melinda Gates
  5. "Pneumonia is a disease that often flies under the radar of not just the public but even the global health community. It kills more children under 5 years old every year than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined."-Mandy Moore
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