The Lunar New Year holiday is an opportune time to check on the health of elderly parents, as winter often sees a rise in respiratory infections, particularly pneumonia. For older adults, pneumonia poses serious health risks beyond a mere cold, as aging leads to immune senescence, reducing the body's ability to combat infections. Statistics indicate that pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death among the elderly in South Korea, yet many mistakenly perceive it as just a severe cold without recognizing the need for prevention.

Experts emphasize the false perception held by some elderly individuals regarding pneumonia, urging families to verify whether their parents have received recent pneumonia vaccinations. Initial symptoms of pneumonia can easily be mistaken for those of a cold, starting with a cough, sputum, or fever. However, more alarming symptoms such as yellow sputum, high fever, chest pain, shortness of breath, and extreme fatigue should raise suspicions of pneumonia. Particularly in older adults, standard symptoms may not be evident, with some only experiencing mild symptoms like a lack of appetite or confusion, which can delay treatment and lead to severe complications.

Pneumonia is primarily caused by the pneumococcus bacterium, which can lead to serious infections such as bacteremia and meningitis. The mortality rates are high, and those who survive may face lasting repercussions. Vaccination is highlighted as the most effective preventive measure for pneumonia among older adults, with two main types of vaccines currently available for adults: polysaccharide vaccines (PPSV23), which include 23 serotypes, and the conjugate vaccines (PCV), which bind to protein carriers. The key difference lies in how they stimulate immune responses; polysaccharide vaccines primarily activate B cells directly but may have limited immune memory formation, necessitating consideration for re-vaccination after five years.