Question

How is Pneumonia transmitted?

Answer 1

Communicable or infectious diseases spread or transmit through two basic ways: direct transmission and indirect transmission. Direct transmission can occur through direct contact with contaminated soil, direct transmission from person to person through skin-to-skin contact, sexual contact, kissing, droplet spread etc. Indirect transmission can occur through airborne transmission, vector borne transmission, vehicle borne (through infected objects like handkerchief, towels etc.)

Complete answer:
Before we understand the transmission or spread of pneumonia we will try to know the definition and the causative agent (s) of pneumonia.
Pneumonia is an illness that causes the air sacs in your lungs to become inflamed. The air sacs can get clogged with fluid or pus, causing symptoms including coughing, fever, chills, and difficulty breathing.
It has been observed that pneumonia is not caused by any one particular pathogen but many viruses, bacteria and fungi can result in pneumonia thus the mode of transmission may be far more varied as the causal organisms are.
Some of the common transmission routes of pneumonia are as follows:
If a person inhales the infection carrying droplets from the sneeze of infected individuals, they contract pneumonia by Droplet borne route of transmission.
Indirect transmission can occur if the infected individuals touch surfaces of inanimate objects (called fomites) and the same contaminated fomites may transmit the disease to healthy persons.

Note:
Pneumonia is a term often used in a mere broad sense where any medical condition associated with the inflammation of lungs and fluid filled alveoli is called pneumonitis. Infectious agents of pneumonia vary between diverse microbial groups and so are their modes of transmission. However, most of the diagnosis of pneumonia is done through sputum analysis as the pathogens reside mostly in the upper respiratory tract.