In the developed world, bacterial pneumonia, once diagnosed, is usually treated with antibiotics. The drugs Cotrimoxazole and Amoxicillin have proven to be effective against pneumonia. Few treatment options exist for viral pneumonia, and generally, a doctor will recommend rest and increased fluid intake.

Treatment for pneumonia is determined depending on the situation. For instance, in some cases, resistance against the antibiotics used may have developed. If the patient is suffering from another condition, treatment for pneumonia needs to be tailored to match it. Early treatment is life saving, but in many cases, the poor do not have access to it. In one study, it was found that only 19% of children who developed pneumonia were treated with antibiotics in the 1990s. Costs to treat pneumonia with antibiotics have dropped all over the world - right now, antibiotic treatment costs $0.27 - but this is price is still beyond the means of most poor people.

Of course, it is often better to prevent the disease in the first place. Immunization is a valuable component of the fight against pneumonia. Vaccinations can stop the development of infections or stop the development of a disease from which pneumonia often occurs. Pneumonia can develop because of the flu - getting a flu shot, as such, can prevent pneumonia. Another example is that pneumonia often develops as a consequence of developing measles. Although the measles vaccine has been available for years, 24% of people around the world today are not vaccinated, leading to 30 to 40 million infections among children each year. The Haemophilius influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine protects against one of the important causes of pneumonia. However, due to its high cost, only 42% of people in developing countries were vaccinated (only 8% of people in least developing countries were vaccinated). Vaccines that protect against Streptococcus pneumoniae are available, but a vaccine that was safe for infants and toddlers was only developed recently. New vaccines for pneumonia are still being developed today. The Advance Market Commitments scheme which is financed by Italy, Britain, Canada, Norway, Russia, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation guarantees that future purchases of new vaccines will be subsidized. Amounting to an investment of $1.5 billion, one of the main goals to develop a new and more suitable vaccine for pneumonia.

According to The Economist, in an article entitled "New vaccines for old killers" (February 17th, 2007), it can take from 15-20 years for a new vaccine to be available and affordable for those in the neediest places.

Tackling pneumonia and other lower respiratory infections require a multi-faceted approach. Pneumonia is common in countries where people's host defenses are already compromised, be it through malnutrition or unsanitary conditions in the environment. If malnutrition were eliminated in Southeast Asia, where it is common, 33% of childhood pneumonia would be prevented.

Low birth weight has been proven to affect the incidence of pneumonia. As many as 19% of children born in developing countries are underweight. About 25% of pneumonia deaths could be prevented if low birth weight was made a thing of the past in these countries.

In fact, breastfeeding, would also alleviate pneumonia because of the anti-infective properties of breast milk. About 84% of pneumonia deaths in children under 5 take place before 18 months of age, and 20% of pneumonia deaths could be prevented if children were breastfed for these first 18 months. Children who are breastfed exclusively have been found to have fewer infections and less severe ones at that. However, only 1/3 of children are breast fed exclusively during their first six months of life - the remaining two thirds of infants are five times more likely to die of pneumonia.

WHO asserts that most of the 13 million deaths each year from infections diseases like pneumonia are preventable. Many low-cost health interventions to treat these diseases already exist - yet, today, they are still problems in the developing world.

Michael G (14) and Patrick G (12), Doors to Diplomacy 2007