Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is one of the most common diseases and in the same league as heart attacks or strokes. In Germany, more than 240,000 patients are hospitalized every year because of CAP, 12 percent of which die. Every year, over seven times more people die from CAP than from traffic accidents. Globally, CAP is the cause of death for more children until the age of six than malaria, HIV, and measles combined. This topic is the focus of a public Science & Society Session “Community-Acquired Pneumonia,” which takes place at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW) on September 16, 2016.

Moderated by Prof. Dr. med. Detlev Ganten, Chair of the Board of the Stiftung Charité and Founding President of the World Health Summit, the lectures and discussions will focus on the epidemiological, demographic, sociological, and ethical aspects of the disease and on therapeutic approaches worldwide. The speakers will also present and discuss new prophylactic strategies such as administering new vaccines or blocking pathogen entry through nanoparticles.

The Science & Society Session is supported by the Schering Stiftung and takes place on the occasion of the 2nd International Conference of SFB-TR84 and the Leopoldina on “Innate Immunity of the Lung – Improving Pneumonia Outcome” (BBAW, September 15–17, 2016).