World Pneumonia Day 2021

Pneumonia is the biggest infectious killer of adults and children – claiming the lives of 2.5 million, including 672,000 children, in 2019. This year, World Pneumonia Day, on 12 November 2021, is held during COP 26 – the UN Climate Change Conference. This is a critical moment to talk about Climate Change and Pneumonia by bringing together the health, air quality. and climate communities to tackle the biggest infectious killer on the planet.

Air pollution is the leading risk factor for death from pneumonia across all ages. Almost a third of all pneumonia deaths – 750,000 – were attributable to polluted air in 2019. Household air pollution contributed to 420,000 of these deaths, while outdoor air pollution contributed to 330,000.

It is the very young and the very old who are at greatest risk. Children are more susceptible to household air pollution in homes that regularly use polluting fuels and technologies for cooking, heating, and lighting. While outdoor air pollution, especially from pollutants emitted by industries and car exhaust smoke, disproportionately affects respiratory health among older adults.

Ninety per cent of air pollution-related deaths are concentrated in 40 lower income countries. In many African countries, air pollution contributes to more than 50% of all pneumonia deaths. And while pneumonia deaths from household air pollution are declining in Africa, they are tragically increasing as a result of outdoor air pollution. This is also true for Asia.