希拉里患上肺炎 你對它的常識又瞭解多少?

Recently, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton made news -- not for what she said, but for her health.

最近，總統候選人希拉里·克林頓製造了新聞--不是因爲她說了什麼，而是因爲她的健康狀況。

Her political campaign announced that Clinton had pneumonia after she appeared weak at a public event in New York City.

她的競選陣營聲稱，希拉里在紐約的一場公開典禮上身體很虛弱，隨後就被診斷爲患上了肺炎。

So, what is pneumonia? And how does it spread?

那麼，肺炎是什麼呢？它是這樣傳播的呢？

On a simple level, pneumonia is an infection of the lungs.

簡單來說，肺炎就是一種肺部的感染。

It is treatable and Preventable but was responsible for nearly one million deaths in 2015. It is the leading cause of death among children under five around the world.

這種疾病可治療、可預防，但是在2015年就造成了近100萬人死亡。肺炎也是世界範圍內五歲以下兒童死亡的主要原因。

It is most often caused by the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria, but viruses like the flu, and even fungi also cause the disease.

肺炎通常由肺炎鏈球菌引起，也會由類似流感病毒的病毒引起，甚至真菌也會引發肺炎。

Once it gets in a person's lungs, the alveoli, or air sacs that take in oxygen, swell and fill up with fluid.

一旦病原體進入肺部，肺泡（類似吸入氧氣的氣囊）就會腫脹並充滿積液。

This makes breathing difficult and painful, and can also limit the amount of oxygen a person takes into their body with each breath. It also causes fever, chills and coughing.

這會使得呼吸變得困難且痛苦，並且會限制每次呼吸時進入人體的氧氣量。此外，肺炎還會引起發燒、發冷和咳嗽。

Those most at risk are the very young, the elderly (over the age of 65) and anyone with a compromised immune system.

小孩、65歲以上的老人和免疫力低下的人都非常容易患上肺炎。

Because the symptoms mimic those of the flu and the common cold, diagnosis sometimes takes a visit to a doctor, who will listen to your lungs for "crackling, bubbling, and rumbling sounds when you inhale," according to the American Lung Association (ALA). A follow up chest X-ray may also be necessary.

根據美國肺科協會表示，以上這些症狀會和流感以及普通感冒相混淆，所以要想確診是不是肺炎需要去看醫生，讓醫生聽診在你吸氣時，肺部是否有“捻發音、囉音或者水泡音”。接下來做一個胸部X光片也很有必要。

For viral pneumonia, doctors can prescribe anti-viral medication. The disease routinely lasts 1-3 weeks in people, who are otherwise healthy.

對病毒性肺炎來說，醫生可以開抗病毒藥物。原本健康的人一般1到3個星期就可以康復。

For people who get bacterial pneumonia - the most common kind - treatment for mild cases can include antibiotics, rest and fluids, and fever control. The recovery time is similar to viral pneumonia.

對於得了細菌性肺炎（這一種比較常見）的人來說，輕度病例可以使用抗生素、休息、喝水療法以及控制發燒症狀來治療。康復期和病毒性肺炎大體相同。

Mycoplasma pneumoniae, another bacterial form of the illness, also called "walking pneumonia," is generally mild, but full recovery may take an extended period of time, especially for the young, elderly and unhealthy.

支原體肺炎是細菌性肺炎中的一種，又稱“能行走的肺炎”，是一種比較輕的情況，但是完全康復要花費很長時間，對小孩、老人和體弱者來說尤其如此。

Preventing pneumonia requires the same steps used to prevent colds and the flu. The ALA recommends an annual flu shot.

預防肺炎的措施基本上和預防感冒以及流感是一致的。美國肺科協會建議每年都接種流感疫苗。

In addition, "Children younger than 5, and adults 65 and older should get vaccinated against pneumococcal pneumonia." Wash your hands early and often, don't smoke and get plenty of rest and exercise.

此外，“5歲以下的小孩、65歲及以上的成年人應該接種鏈球菌性肺炎疫苗。”還有，要注意經常洗手、不吸菸、保證足夠的休息和運動。

If you're the parent of young children, make sure you're up to date on all your vaccines.

如果你的孩子還小，一定不要錯過接種疫苗的時間。

"There are several other vaccines that can prevent infections by bacteria and viruses that may lead to pneumonia," according to the ALA, "including pertussis, chicken pox and measles."

美國肺科協會建議道：“包括百日咳、水痘和麻疹在內的幾種疫苗，可以預防由細菌和病毒引起的感染，這些感染都可能會引發肺炎。”