Infectious disease expert: Pneumonia fourth top killer in Philippines

As pneumonia becomes the fourth top killer in the Philippines, an infectious disease expert is calling for stronger immunization efforts to protect public health.

As of 31 July, the vaccine-preventable disease claimed more than 46,000 lives, as cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) and other respiratory diseases rise, Dr. Rontgene Solante, infectious disease specialist at San Lazaro Hospital noted.

“As a highly preventable disease, pneumonia should not be claiming this many lives anymore,” Solante emphasized.

“Pneumonia’s resurgence should remind us that we must stay consistent with our efforts, especially as diseases like this are so easily prevented with vaccines," he added.

For years, sustained immunization efforts helped keep pneumonia lower on the list of top causes of death, ranking only seventh until 2021. But by 2024, pneumonia had risen to fourth place and, in the same year, the benefit packages for moderate to severe pneumonia topped claims from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

As of July, it has already claimed 46,718 lives, accounting for 6.7 percent of all deaths nationwide, underscoring its great burden on public health. It is still also the leading cause of death in children younger than five years old. Apart from this, health experts also point out its significant economic strain.

Citing data on health benefit claims in 2024, Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association (PHAP) Executive Director Teodoro Padilla asserted the role of immunization in alleviating this societal burden.

From 1 January to 1 December 2024, Padilla said there were 648,355 pneumonia benefit claims. The claims totaled over P11.9 billion in health costs that could have been avoided with timely vaccinations.

“Compared to its economic costs and threat to life, immunization poses less financial strain and can protect entire communities as immunization coverage broadens," Padilla said.

He also stressed that pneumonia is highly transmissible and can progress rapidly, especially among the very young, the elderly, and those with underlying health conditions.

If left untreated, pneumonia can lead to severe complications such as respiratory failure and sepsis, often with fatal consequences.

Despite its risks, many Filipinos delay seeking treatment, and many more fail to get protected, partly due to a lack of awareness of how encompassing its immunization coverage is.

The health expert, meanwhile, asserted that the pneumonia vaccines protect individuals and groups in all life stages.

High-risk groups need stronger protection against pneumonia

While the majority of immunization programs have targeted mainly infants and seniors, Solante stressed that adults with chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cancer face equally high risks of severe pneumonia.

Individuals who have a pattern of previous hospitalizations are also at particular risk for developing pneumonia, he furthered.

“The protection pneumonia vaccines offer is encompassing. Young or old, and even adults, benefit from it. Especially if you have asthma or other chronic conditions, pneumonia vaccination is just as critical to you as it is to a baby or your grandparents,” he continued.

For adults with weakened immunity or compromised lung function, pneumonia can exacerbate existing illnesses, trigger hospitalizations, and significantly increase the risk of death.

Similarly, in the very young and the very old, it can progress rapidly and have fatal consequences.

Closing the immunization gap

Amid the rise in pneumonia cases, experts stressed that expanding access across all age groups is key to reducing pneumonia’s deadly toll in the Philippines.

Solante and Padilla added that while the Department of Health has made strides in improving immunization rates, gaps remain, particularly for the underserved, thus reiterating the importance of a whole-of-society approach to expand vaccine access in a way that meets the needs of various populations.

Currently, pneumonia is among the conditions covered by PhilHealth, with its own scope of claims reserved for members and their dependents.

Health experts encouraged individuals to go to the nearest health center and take advantage of the free vaccines offered by the local government units.

In the private sector, vaccination at a doctor’s clinic is still available, albeit at a cost. Alternatively, corporations are encouraged to mount their own immunization drives as part of their health benefits for employees.

Local drugstores also offer vaccination programs, making vaccines available to customers aged 18 and above.