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Why is pneumonia so dangerous? - Eve Gaus and Vanessa Ruiz

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Every time you breathe, air travels down the trachea, through a series of channels, and then reaches little clusters of air sacs in the lungs. These tiny sacs facilitate a crucial exchange: allowing oxygen from the air we breathe into the bloodstream and clearing out carbon dioxide. Pneumonia wreaks havoc on this exchange system. Eve Gaus and Vanessa Ruiz detail how pneumonia attacks the lungs.

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Eve Gaus, Vanessa Ruiz
  • Director Igor Coric
  • Narrator Alexandra Panzer
  • Sound Designer Stephen LaRosa
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Editorial Producer Elizabeth Cox
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma
  • Physician consultant Nipun Atri
  • See more creators
Additional Resources for you to Explore
To learn more about pneumonia and other lung diseases, visit the American Lung Association. Another resource full of information about pneumonia is Our World In Data.
Avatar for Sazia Afrin
Lesson Creator
New York, New York, United States
Globally, pneumonia is the leading cause of death for children under 5. Why do you think young children are at a higher risk? What global health and socioeconomic factors contribute to high mortality rates in children?

11/12/2020
Avatar for Madison Coffin
Madison Coffin • COMPLETED LESSON

Children have a weaker immune system like elderly people do.

11/30/2020
Avatar for Kelma Cristina de Freitas
Kelma Cristina de Freitas • LESSON IN PROGRESS

I think the children´s immune system is more fragile than adult people. But it is important to consider the children are more fragile in relation to economic conditions.

11/30/2020
Avatar for Yasshwanth S
Yasshwanth S • COMPLETED LESSON

Young children are at higher risk of getting Pneumonia because their immune system is a lot weaker than grown-ups and adults since the amount of exercise and the food they eat is not enough because they are full and tired. But for adults, have higher stamina than kids and children so they could run fast and do more exercises quickly than kids do. They also need to eat a lot than children. Some kids are not really aware of the disease because they have not been told of this deadly disease so they are a bit careless about their health.

12/01/2020
Avatar for Jooha Kim
Jooha Kim • COMPLETED LESSON

1. Globally, pneumonia is the leading cause of death for children under 5. Why do you think young children are at a higher risk? Because younger children has weaker immune system. 2. What global health and socioeconomic factors contribute to high mortality rates in children? The environment the children live, the healthcare that children get.

12/01/2020
Avatar for MARIA JOSE PAMPLONA PEREZ
MARIA JOSE PAMPLONA PEREZ • COMPLETED LESSON

The immune system of a baby is weaker, is not fully developed by that age, that's why we have to take more care of them.

12/02/2020
Avatar for avital kaufman
avital kaufman • COMPLETED LESSON

children dont have developed immune systems,therefore any unknown bacteria that travels into their body will effect them severely, children also have lower stamina than adults. economic conditions can also take a toll on a child's immune system. children are not as careful in taking preventive measures, such as; sanitation,washing hands, exercise, and healthy diet. overall, without proper prevention measures and a healthy lifestyle pneumonia can be fatal.

12/03/2020
Avatar for Davonne Hudson
Davonne Hudson • LESSON IN PROGRESS

I think they have a higher chance because there bodies are not fully developed so its harder for them to fight the disease.

12/03/2020
Avatar for jack lee
jack lee • LESSON IN PROGRESS

because children is more weak than adults.

12/05/2020
Avatar for Mona Kargar shandi
Mona Kargar shandi • LESSON IN PROGRESS

Children are vulnerable people like the elderly people and they have a weak immune system so they must be protected more than others.

12/06/2020
Avatar for Shirlin Tong
Shirlin Tong • COMPLETED LESSON

The young children are at a higher risk on pneumonia because they have a weaker immune system. Thus their body are unable to fight against the pathogens that enter their body.

12/16/2020
Avatar for Med Baccary
Med Baccary • COMPLETED LESSON

Child deaths from pneumonia are concentrated in the world’s poorest countries. Within these countries, it is the most deprived and marginalized children who suffer the most. They often have limited or no access to basic health services and are more likely to suffer from other health threats like malnutrition, infectious diseases and polluted air. They often live in fragile or humanitarian settings, where often risk factors increase and health systems break down.

12/26/2020
Avatar for 채 박
채 박 • LESSON IN PROGRESS

I think the reason why children are so much more vulnerable to pneumonia is because of their immune systems that are not yet developed. Also, the deaths of children from pneumonia are concentrated in the underdeveloped countries, and I think that not only pneumonia but also various factors such as dirty drinking water and malnutrition have played a role in their deaths. To get out of these problems, you'll need to have a proper healthcare system and thorough hygiene training.

12/29/2020
Avatar for 수현 임
수현 임 • LESSON IN PROGRESS

Children have less developed immune systems than adults, and when bacteria move into their bodies, they will have a serious effect on them, and they have less physical strength than adults. Economic conditions can also harm children's immune systems. Children are not careful about taking precautions such as hygiene, exercise, and a healthy diet.

12/30/2020
Avatar for Minseo Lee
Minseo Lee • LESSON IN PROGRESS

The lungs which are directly expesed to external environment are easy to infect. Pneumonia are often contracted by infection so they are common in children with weak immune systems.
Millions of children are dying from a lack of simple vaccines, cheap antibiotics, and common oxygen treatments. In poor countries, children with weakened immunity from other diseases or exposed to environmental factors such as air pollution or unsafe water face greater risks. Tens of millions of children are still not vaccinated and one in three children showing symptoms is not receiving the necessary treatment. Children with severe symptoms should be treated with oxygen, but it is almost impossible for children living in poor countries to receive such treatment.

01/01/2021
Avatar for ASK MEH
ASK MEH • COMPLETED LESSON

Children still have a developing immune system, so compared to adults their immune system is not very strong. Social factors are who the child meets and is friends with. If the child was friends with people who were not vaccinated and the child is not vaccinated either, than there is an increased risk of contracting pneumonia. Children are also ignorant on certain sanitary manners such as washing your hands, covering your cough and sneezing in your anticubital fossa. Some children live in poor areas which are deprived modernized heath care. This can lead to many deaths of children below the age of 5. This fatal disease can also take the lives of children who are malnourished. Places like Venezuala have a broken heath infrastructure which makes people susceptible to such diseases. Polluted air and second hand smoke are also contributing factors in increasing this risk. Not only that but children with auto-immune diseases and genetic disease are solely at risk.

02/13/2021
Avatar for Maria Flavia de Faria
Maria Flavia de Faria • LESSON IN PROGRESS

I think children immune system is weak. The important is to improve the health care accessibility.

03/01/2021
Avatar for Jazmin Cisneros
Jazmin Cisneros • COMPLETED LESSON

The reason why young children have a higher risk of dying from phenomena is because they have a weaker immune system. Or they have an ongoing heath problem.

03/09/2021
Avatar for Gogo El-Hawal
Gogo El-Hawal • LESSON IN PROGRESS

I think they dont have strong immune .
I came from Lingua Marinas video

04/01/2021
Avatar for MANUEL CAMILO GALEANO MESA
MANUEL CAMILO GALEANO MESA • COMPLETED LESSON

Because their inmune system is weak, and they are mostly in contact with more surfaces.

04/26/2021

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About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Eve Gaus, Vanessa Ruiz
  • Director Igor Coric
  • Narrator Alexandra Panzer
  • Sound Designer Stephen LaRosa
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Editorial Producer Elizabeth Cox
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma
  • Physician consultant Nipun Atri
  • See more creators