Pneumonia normally starts with a bacterial, viral, or fungal infection. The lungs become inflamed, and the tiny air sacs, or alveoli, inside the lungs fill up with fluid. Pneumonia can occur in young and healthy people, but it is most dangerous for older adults, infants, people with other diseases, and those with impaired immune systems.

So, in 2009, World Pneumonia Day was established and marked every year on November 12th to raise awareness about pneumonia, Promote interventions to protect against, prevent and treat pneumonia.

Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of deaths in children under five years old despite being easily preventable and treatable. Although vaccines and other preventative efforts are decreasing the burden of the disease, much more work is still required. Those living in poor communities are at highest risk of pneumonia.

The key to treating pneumonia and prevent it from getting fatal is early diagnosis and a relatively strong immune system. However, it has to be noted that young children who are weak because of malnutrition are the ones most hit by pneumonia. Pneumonia kills more infants than measles, diarrhoea and malaria combined.

Symptoms of pneumonia

First symptoms of pneumonia are similar to that of cold or flu. This is followed by high fever, sputum, chills and cough. The infection results in rusty or green phlegm, shortness of breath, chest pain which worsens with taking deep breaths, fatigue and weakness, shortness of breath, muscle pain and headache. A person suffering from pneumonia is likely to get purplish skin colour because of poorly oxygenated blood. Symptoms of pneumonia can range in severity depending on the type of pneumonia and its underlying health condition.

Treatment of pneumonia

Pneumonia treatment will depend on its severity. Bacterial kinds of pneumonia can be treated with the help of antibiotics. Viral kinds of pneumonia can be treated by taking plenty of rest and lots of fluids. Fungal pneumonia infections can be treated with the help of antifungal medications.

But still even after the availability of antibiotics or anti-fungals , treatment of pneumonia is a challenge for medical fraternity. Recent studies on herbs and herbal preparations have shown the beneficial effects on the causative microorganisms of pneumonia, thus developing strong possibilities of usage of herbal preparations for the effective treatment of pneumonia.

Herbal remedies are beneficial for pneumonia that help improve immune function and usually possess anti-microbial action. In Ayurveda various herbs are mentioned to fight respiratory infections like Tulsi fights off bacterial and viral infections, Giloe improves body defense system by enhancing immunity, Karanj relieves cold and associated chest congestion.

Aimil’s Fifatrol tablet is a unique herbo-mineral formulation that helps fight in Pneumonia and other fever conditions by reducing fever, pains, suppressing cough, reducing inflammation of lung alveoli, simulateously boosts body defence system to fight infections and also fastens recovery process . It acts as a natural antibiotic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulator and antioxidant. It’s a unique combination of Giloe, Tulsi, Karanj, Appamarg, Chirayata, Motha, Daruharidra, Kutaki, Sudarshan vati, Godanti, Sanjeevani vati, Tribhuvan kirti ras and Mrityunjaya ras.

In a recent study, Antibiotic susceptibility pattern of various microorganism was determined against Fifatrol - Multidrug combination from old science of Ayurveda at Department of Microbiology, AIIMS, Bhopal.

Results of AIIMS study of Fifatrol against various microorganisms revealed that Fifatrol has sensitivity for Staphylococcus sps.(Gram positive) primarily cause Upper respiratory tract infection and P.aeruginosa (Gram negative) primarily causes External otitis and Pneumonia.

Micro broth dilution technique was used at AIIMS, Bhopal  to determine the potency and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of the extracts of  Fifatrol tablets, Tribhuvan kirti ras, Sanjeevani vati, Mrityunjaya ras and Sudarshan vati.

The investigation at AIIMS revealed that Fifatrol extract is more susceptible for P.aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi and Staphylococcus spp. at 1mg/ml concentration. The strain of Salmonella typhi was a clinical isolate obtained from a clinical sample after standard identification methods used at AIIMS Bhopal. This strain shows encouraging results with significant growth inhibition for the Fifatrol.