A Special Birthday Message if You are Celebrating 50 Years Or More Of Life…

The Florida Lung Doctors want you to know the facts about Pneumococcal Pneumonia, a serious bacterial respiratory infection. If you are 50 years old or more, you are in the high risk group for this illness. We also advise you to talk to your doctor about taking a simple vaccination named Prevnar 13, which will reduce your risk of contracting this vicious form of pneumonia.

Powerful Protection For Your Lungs

The purpose of this blog article today is to acquaint you with Pneumococcal Pneumonia and to explain why Florida Lung Doctors recommend you take this vaccination if you are over 50.
In the words of the Mayo Clinic, “Pneumococcal 13-valent diphtheria conjugate vaccine is an active immunizing agent used to prevent infection by Pneumococcal bacteria. It works by causing your body to produce its own protection (antibodies) against the disease.” You can read more technical information by clicking here.

About Those Rumors

You might have heard of another pneumonia vaccine named Pneumovax. Just to clarify our preference for Prevnar13, be aware that Pneumovax has to be administered every 5 years, but Prevnar protects you for a lifetime. The Lung Doctors want you to be as well protected as possible, for as long as possible.

You might have heard of Prevnar being administered to children. The vacinnation made its first claim to fame by protecting babies from ear infections as well as pneumonia. It’s not just for children any more!

What You Must Know About Pneumococcal Pneumonia

We caution you to remember Pneumococcal Pneumonia is not simply an illness that effects elderly or sickly people, or people already in the hospital. Even if you are a generally healthy, energetic, youthful fifty years old, you have a high risk factor of contracting this bacterial respiratory infection.  Let’s take a look at the symptoms:

1. The Heat: You will have a High Fever.

2. The Hack: You will have a cough, and you will struggle to clear phlegm.

3. The Shakes:  Shivering, chilling and sweating will lead you to suspect this is no ordinary, common cold.

4. The Blues:  We don’t mean emotional blues. This blue refers to a bluish tinge on your lips and the beds of your fingernails.
( Such coloring is evidence that you are starved for oxygen, and your case of Pneumonococcal pneumonia would have to be severe to demonstrate this symptom.)

Six Warnings To Our Patients, Friends and Blog Readers

• Caution! This bacterial infection can be severe and contagious. It can last several weeks and has been known to continue for months.

• Life Interruption! With Pneumococcal Pneumonia, you will miss work, and you will lose quality family time. In the U.S.A. alone, Pneumococcal pneumonia has caused at least 302,000 trips to the hospital every year.

• Increased Risk! To add insult to injury, once you have had this bacterial pneumonia, you increase your chances of contracting it again, and it will be more severe the second time around.

• Why, me? Simply explained, you are in that high risk group because your immune system is no longer as strong as it was when you were 29, or even 39 years old.

• Improve Your Odds! Chances are good that the Prevnar vaccination will compensate for that loss, and protect you from the disease.Pneumococcal pneumonia is not to be confused with a “cold” although people often make this mistake when they attempt self diagnosis.

A Lung Doctors’ Special Invitation:  Make a note to yourself to schedule a once-in-a-lifetime Prevnar vaccination today. As you add more years to your life, we hope you will not wait for another Birthday to take your Prevnar vaccination. We don’t want to alarm you, but that date might come too late. Pneumoccal Pneumonia can also claim lives.  You might even schedule our brief and painless Spirometry test to check your basic lung health, while you are here. Read all about it here!
Although it is true that some patients contract pneumonia during a hospital stay, most people acquire it during an ordinary day at work, at home or at simple public place like the bank or the mall. This bactria can actually reside harmlessly in the throats of children without making them sick, but if they sneeze on you, you might be highly susceptible.
The Pneumococcal bacteria is airborn and chances are you won’t even notice the sneeze or cough that carries it into your respiratory tract.

Now You Know:  Some of our deep readers might like to visit this site for indepth information about the FDA approval of Prevnar. Once again we remind you need not endure the shock and deprival of Pneumococcal Pneumonia.

If you’re 50 or older, talk to your healthcare provider about your Prevnar vaccination, or call the Lung Doctors here in Orlando for more information. We assure you that a quick trip and a little needle stick could save you days of fighting an intense respiratory infection. We invite you to study more about this illness, your risk, and your amazing Prevnar 13 option by clicking here.