Can you get pneumonia in the summer

Doctors prescribe antibiotics in case a patient does turn out to have a bacterial infection. Although such infections can be confirmed by testing a person's sputum a mixture of saliva and mucus for bacteria that could cause pneumonia, it can take several days for the test results to come back, and by then, a person could be quite ill, he said. Walking pneumonia is very common, Horovitz said. He noted that in his practice, he sees it all the time. When the CDC talks about the nation's pneumonia cases and statistics, they're talking about the more serious cases that require a person to be hospitalized, he said.

The condition is about as contagious as a cold, he added. The treatment for a viral version of pneumonia includes staying hydrated, getting rid of mucus from the throat and lungs by coughing it up, for example and getting enough sleep, he said.

Originally published on Live Science. Symptoms of pneumococcal pneumonia can come on quickly, and may include:.

Certain symptoms, like cough and fatigue, can last for weeks or longer, and can even put you in the hospital. Age alone increases the risk of pneumococcal pneumonia for the more than 47 million Americans over the age of But the risks are even higher, as compared to healthy adults 65 and older, if you have a chronic lung disease:.

The U. Learn more about your risk for pneumococcal pneumonia through our quiz at Lung. All rights reserved. July This November your donation goes even further to improve lung health and defeat lung cancer. Double Your Gift. Jones said there are two types of vaccine. The first vaccine is the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine PCV The second vaccine is the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine PPSV The PCV13 vaccine is given to infants in a series of shots until the age of 15 months.

The U. Between the ages of 19 and 64, anybody with a blood disorder, a damaged or missing spleen, a compromised immune system, kidney disease or cancer, should get this vaccine.

Jones said.