A friend of mine is supposed to come visit me and my 15 month old daughter in a week. She has just told me that her boyfriend has pneumonia. I expressed that she may want to make sure she doesn't have it before she visits us. She said she probably doesn't have it. Should I postpone her visit or am I being paranoid?
Thanks for all the input. I talked to my friend and shared my concern. She completely understood and said she will postpone her visit until she is absolutely sure she is clear.
If it was me I would ask my friend to come at another time. I had a friend recently living with someone with pneumonia and he ended up getting it to. Being paranoid is what us mothers have to be sometimes.(even though it sucks)
Hello J.,
Pneumonia is not contagious, pneumonia is mucous in the lungs. It starts off with bronchitis, if untreated, it becomes pneumonia. It has to be treated or it can get worse. Either way, its best if its taken care of before seeing someone else.
Others might have a different opinion, so this is all I know. G.
J.,
Personally, I would postpone the visit. Your child is still really young and if you can potentially protect her from being exposed, I would.
Molly
you can not catch it. It is an infection in the lungs of the person who has it. Nothing to worry about, be sure the flu is not involved that is something to be careful of.
I don't think you're being paranoid. Good job being vigilant.
Kids 15 months old can die from pneumonia! (more easily than adults).
M.
You can't "catch" pneumonia from another person.
You are not being paranoid at all. It is better to be safe than sorry. I would probably postpone just to be on the safe side. With cold/flu season around you don't want to take any chances.
I'm not a doctor, so you better ask yours just to be safe, but I've heard that pneumonia isn't contagious. It's just someone's response to a cold or flu that they had. So while your friend might not pass on the pneumonia, she may expose you to whatever virus her boyfriend had, but that wouldn't necessarily turn into pneumonia in you or your kids.
Sometimes being paranoid is a good thing. I usually try not to take my daughter who is now seven around sick people. Even I as an adult tend to avoid sick friends. Whether or not to postpone the visit is a personal choice. If it were someone who went through alot of trouble to come and visit (time off of work, airline tickets, etc.), then I would let her come and visit and just ask her to wash her hands before touching the child. After all, if you take your daughter anywhere in public you never know what she is exposed to. If your friend is traveling a short distance and can come anytime she wants, then I would postpone.
Hi J.!
I am sure everyone will be fine, but don't be too laxed. It seems that every little cold or virus around us is turning into bronchitis and pnemonia. Everyone I know has had something related to it during the last year, including my healthy family. It was the sickest we've ALL been in the last 5 years.
Let her visit, just be cautious to wipe down, provide kleenex, etc...
Have fun visiting with your friend ;O)
~N.
I'm pretty certain pneumonia isnt contagious ... click it in search and see. Colds are only contagious for the first few days.... I'd be more worried about the cold.
You can't catch or spread pneumonia, it's what happens when a repiratory illness (cold, etc.) gets worse, and develops into brochitis or pneumonia due to a person's compromised health or immune system. Your friend may have (or have had) the same virus as her boyfriend, but it takes time to progress into pneumonia so the virus that lead to his pneumonia is probably long gone from both of their systems. If your daughter is healthy, there shouldn't be a problem. Check with your pediatrician for the best advice!
J.
You may want to ask your pediatrician or doctor about the incubation of the disease. In a week, it seems, she would have symptoms and know if she was a threat (and hopefully stay away without being asked).
Hi J.,
She should definintely postpone her visit.
-M
I will tell you only my opinion from my 2 yr old who was plagued by health problems from day one. If your daughter has been healthy, she probably will not be apt to catch anything. However, if her health is not so good and she is quickly susceptible to catching colds I would hold off on the visit. I know whenever someone comes to my place and is sneezing, coughing or just doesn't feel right, I just double make sure they wash their hands before holding my son, I try to keep him in a different room more often and just be wary of how the person who may be sick is really feeling.
I believe what everyone says that pneumonia is not catching but bronchitis is (before it turns into pneumonia) and depending on what stage your friend is at, one just never knows who a body will react.
You know what feels right anyway for you and your daughter. If you haven't seen your friend in a long time and this is the only time to see her, then do it. If she is closer by and this can be held off a bit, that too may be better for everyone.
Good luck and good visiting.
T.
When my daughter was 15 mo. old, I would have told you to postpone the visit. Mine is now 7 1/2.
Most likely your friend is absolutely fine. Pneumonia doesn't just happen, usually. It's progressive. If your child catches a cold or a flu, as she might with or without your friend, you will take her to the dr. early and mention that your friend's boyfriend had pneumonia, but was not in contact with your child, unless he comes too.
If your daughter was premie and there were worries of RSV, that's a different story.
Knowledge is powerful.
Stephanie
I would check out the incubation period for someone who has come in contact with the virus. Also call your dr/pediatrician and get their take. Everyone is saying it is not contagious, I would still check into it. Call your Dr and ask the questions by someone who is qualified to have the right answers.
Several types of infections can cause pneumonia; some are quite contagious while others aren't. My understanding from what I've read is that bacterial pneumonia can be quite infectious, especially if people are in close quarters. Droplets in the air are inhaled and then lead to pneumonia. With viral causes of pneumonia, it sounds like the virus can be caught, but the whichever virus has led to pneumonia (many can) will not generally cause pneumonia in the other person, just the original virus. The incubation period can also vary widely based on the cause of the pneumonia, meaning that she may or may not know before her trip whether she is going to get sick. If I were you, I would find out if the cause of your friend's boyfriend's pneumonia has been identified and then call your daughter's pediatrician for advice. If the cause is one where the incubation period is short, your friend will either have it or not have it before her trip, from what I understand. If they don't know the cause, I would ask your friend to postpone her trip. Even if they do know the cause and the incubation period is short, it never hurts to call the pediatrician. If he/she says not to take a chance, you can always tell your friend that the ped put the kabosh on you and your child being around your friend. Wanting to keep your child safe is not being paranoid. It's not like you're talking about the common cold!
