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How can you catch pneumonia?
Short answer: You can get pneumonia by inhaling microbes sneezed or coughed out by people with pneumonia, from your own nose or throat or from environment.
Pneumonia often occurs in individuals with weak immune system. You can catch microbes from a person who has pneumonia, but, if you are otherwise healthy and have good immunity, you will probably develop only some mild disease rather than pneumonia.
Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs, caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi.
Viral pneumonia can occur as a complication of flu, usually in older people or those with weak immunity. So, a person who gets flu and has weak immunity due to an underlying disease, such as heart failure, is at increased risk to get viral pneumonia (caused by Influenza virus). If a healthy person with normal immunity comes in a close contact with a person with viral pneumonia, he or she will more likely develop flu than pneumonia. With other words, a healthy person can easily catch Influenza virus and get flu, but good immunity will prevent him or her from getting viral pneumonia.
A person with weak immunity can get bacterial pneumonia by inhaling bacteria that normally live in his or her own nose or throat. If you are in close contact with a person with bacterial pneumonia and you are otherwise healthy, you will not likely develop bacterial pneumonia.
You can get walking pneumonia caused by atypical bacteria Mycoplasma by being in prolonged close contact with a person who has walking pneumonia. This type of pneumonia is not considered very contagious.
You can get Legionnaire's disease (a type of atypical pneumonia) by inhaling the Legionella bacteria with water mist from cooling towers near large buildings such as hotels or hospitals or from indoor fountains, for example. Legionella does not likely spread from person to person.
You can catch fungal pneumonia by inhaling fungi from bat or rat droppings in caves, under bridges and so. Fungal pneumonia does not likely spread from person to person.
Pneumonia often occurs in individuals with weak immune system. You can catch microbes from a person who has pneumonia, but, if you are otherwise healthy and have good immunity, you will probably develop only some mild disease rather than pneumonia.
Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs, caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi.
Viral pneumonia can occur as a complication of flu, usually in older people or those with weak immunity. So, a person who gets flu and has weak immunity due to an underlying disease, such as heart failure, is at increased risk to get viral pneumonia (caused by Influenza virus). If a healthy person with normal immunity comes in a close contact with a person with viral pneumonia, he or she will more likely develop flu than pneumonia. With other words, a healthy person can easily catch Influenza virus and get flu, but good immunity will prevent him or her from getting viral pneumonia.
A person with weak immunity can get bacterial pneumonia by inhaling bacteria that normally live in his or her own nose or throat. If you are in close contact with a person with bacterial pneumonia and you are otherwise healthy, you will not likely develop bacterial pneumonia.
You can get walking pneumonia caused by atypical bacteria Mycoplasma by being in prolonged close contact with a person who has walking pneumonia. This type of pneumonia is not considered very contagious.
You can get Legionnaire's disease (a type of atypical pneumonia) by inhaling the Legionella bacteria with water mist from cooling towers near large buildings such as hotels or hospitals or from indoor fountains, for example. Legionella does not likely spread from person to person.
You can catch fungal pneumonia by inhaling fungi from bat or rat droppings in caves, under bridges and so. Fungal pneumonia does not likely spread from person to person.
Tags: contagiousness, pneumonia spread
Source: http://www.ehealthstar.com/conditions/pneumonia/is-it-contagious
Source: http://www.ehealthstar.com/conditions/pneumonia/is-it-contagious
