Experts to discuss pneumonia prevention, diagnosis and treatment at November 14 conference

The Clinical Infectious Diseases Association and the National Center for Infectious Diseases will jointly hold a conference titled “All About Pneumonia” on November 14.

As part of World Pneumonia Day, the professional community will discuss disease incidence trends, advances in treatment, primary care physicians’ approaches, and patient behavior.

“Pneumonia is one of the diseases with a relatively high mortality rate. It claims 2.5 million lives worldwide every year, including 600,000 children under the age of five. Given these alarming trends, awareness-raising and educational efforts are important both among the professional community and the general public. Specialists will deliver presentations, raise issues, and seek better solutions to save more lives,” Armen Ohanyan, Director of the National Center for Infectious Diseases and Advisor to the Minister of Health of Armenia on Infectious Diseases, said at a press conference held at Armenpress Media Center.

The focus of the professional discussions will be more accurate diagnosis and proper disease management. According to him, studies show that the overuse of antibiotics remains a problem in Armenia. Antibiotics are prescribed even when there is no indication for them, for example, in cases of respiratory infections. Ohanyan stressed that this is an issue that needs to be raised and addressed through public awareness, adding that working with primary care physicians is among the priorities.

Speaking about preventive measures, Ohanyan noted that pneumococcus is one of the main causative agents of pneumonia and that a vaccine against it is available.

Influenza vaccination also plays an important role in prevention, particularly among children.

According to Knarik Sargsyan, a specialist in standard operating procedures at the National Center for Infectious Diseases, public awareness and adequate knowledge are essential for more effective prevention.

“Interactions with patients show that delayed medical consultation remains a major problem. People wait, hoping that their condition will improve at a later stage. In addition, self-medication, both through folk remedies and medication, continues to be a problem in our society. There has certainly been some positive progress in this regard, but we still have a great deal of work to do to raise awareness,” Sargsyan said.

The main groups at risk of the disease are children under the age of five, people aged 65 and older, and those with chronic conditions, including not only pulmonary diseases but also cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, immune system disorders, and others.

“Today, the diagnosis and treatment of pneumonia, as well as access to medication, are at a fairly high level in our country. With the introduction of universal health insurance, we are seeing that all these services have become more accessible to patients. The necessary medications are also covered by insurance. This means that the financial burden on patients is reduced, citizens will seek medical attention earlier, complications will be less frequent, and hospitalizations will decrease,” said Erna Melkonyan, a pulmonologist and lecturer at the Department of Internal Diseases of Yerevan State Medical University.

Specialists advise people to follow basic hygiene rules during cold weather: regularly ventilate rooms and show responsibility and respect for one another. This means avoiding visits, meetings, and hugs while they are in the active phase of a viral infection.