PREVENTION

Doctors strongly advice: “Practise good hygiene. Wash hands often with soap and water to get protected from germs. There is a vaccine available against the most common type of bacterial pneumonia. But the pneumonia vaccine is not recommended for everyone. Ask your doctor if you need it. Get a flu vaccine every year.”

To help prevent the infection from spreading, be careful to cover your mouth and nose while coughing or sneezing, and throw away tissues immediately after use.

Doctors also recommend quitting smoking.