We are not just talking policy here
So Hillary’s people, after seeing that video of her collapsing late Sunday morning had ironically ~~ gone viral ~~ issued an explanation that two days before she had been diagnosed with pneumonia. Why the delay in informing the public? Healthy people are not generally susceptible to pneumonia, but can carry it to people who are and of course in her audiences are unhealthy people who would be susceptible – as she was in her arguably unhealthy condition to other people / carriers (presuming it is of the viral or bacterial kind).
No coughing into her elbow for the Queen
Had the information been released on a timely basis people may have been able to make informed decisions about being in her proximity or at least as to shaking her hands after she coughs into them or being near her sputum spraying coughing fits. She was doing a lot of coughing in recent days. She didn’t care to warn people. That we do not find surprising.
From MD-Health.com Is Pneumonia Contagious
Is pneumonia contagious? Pneumonia can be both contagious and non-contagious depending upon the exact cause of pneumonia. However, exposure to contagious pneumonia usually results in mild respiratory tract infection rather than pneumonia.
What is Pneumonia?
Pneumonia refers to inflammation of the lung tissue. This inflammation of lung tissue could be due to numerous causes, both infectious and non-infectious. Important infectious causes of pneumonia are viruses, bacteria and fungi. Pneumonia can also be caused by chemical injury (a non-infectious cause).
Is Pneumonia Contagious?
There is no simple answer to this question. Pneumonia can be both, contagious and non-contagious depending upon the cause of pneumonia. Moreover, the contagious causes of pneumonia are not contagious throughout the course of illness, but only during a certain period. A bacterial pneumonia is less likely to be contagious after taking antibiotics for few days. The pneumonias caused by bacteria and viruses are usually contagious, where as those caused by fungus and chemicals is not contagious.
Pneumonia can also be caused by chemical injury to the lung tissue. This may occur due to inhalation of toxic fumes or gases (for e.g. in a fire or industrial accident). Similar chemical pneumonitis might also occur because of aspiration of gastric contents (including gastric acid) in persons with altered level of consciousness (coma patient, excessively drunk persons etc.). These pneumonias are not contagious unless there is also a superimposed viral or bacterial infection after the initial chemical injury.
I have been exposed to “contagious pneumonia”. Will I get it too?
Mere exposure to a person with “contagious” pneumonia is not enough to cause pneumonia. Although exposure is important, it is not the only factor determining the development of pneumonia. It is quite common that the exposed person may not develop pneumonia, or develop only a mild respiratory tract infection.
The immune status and lung condition (any preexisting lung disease) of the exposed person is particularly important in this regard. Moreover, even different normal persons have different susceptibility to different infectious agents. Same infectious agent may cause different spectrum of illness in two individuals. Most commonly, a person exposed to “contagious” pneumonia, will either have no symptoms or develop only a mild respiratory tract infection. Developing pneumonia is rare unless the person has compromised immune system or suffering from preexisting heart/lung disease.
Immune status and predisposing conditions (if any) in the affected person are also important in determining whether the pneumonia would be contagious or non-contagious. Person’s with immunosuppression due to any cause (chemotherapy, transplant, AIDS, etc.) might even develop pneumonia due to certain less virulent infectious agents. Such less virulent pathogens fail to cause clinically significant pneumonia in normal healthy individuals. Therefore, although an infectious pneumonia, this pneumonia might not be contagious. Similarly, preexisting heart and lung diseases might also predispose to developing similar non-contagious infectious pneumonia. It is important to note that such persons might have contagious pneumonia also.
So in short, yes it should be considered contagious and we suspect that some of the people attending her events and approaching her have heart disease and other conditions that would make them especially susceptible. The public had a right to know for that reason and more.
Related commentary at PJ Media
R Mall
