Question
If there are two children in the home, one of whom has pneumonia, is it necessary to worry that the other child will also be infected? Should they be kept apart?
Answer
Pediatric pneumonia itself is not contagious. As long as the child is healthy and has a certain level of resistance, it is unlikely to be infected even if they come into prolonged contact with a child who has pneumonia. Additionally, if the bacterial or viral infection does not immediately develop into pneumonia and the child has a strong immune system, it may only cause an upper respiratory infection. Only when the body’s resistance is low, the upper respiratory infection is not treated completely effectively, and the virulence of the bacteria and viruses is very strong, can pneumonia occur.