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Overview
Pneumonia is an
infection of one or both lungs which is usually caused by a bacteria, virus, or
fungus. Prior to the discovery of antibiotics, one third of all people who developed
pneumonia subsequently died from the infection. Currently, over 3 million people
develop pneumonia each year in the United States. Over
a half a million of these people are admitted to a hospital for treatment. Although
most of these people recover, approximately five percent will die from pneumonia.
Pneumonia is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States <<backS |