POPE FRANCIS IS BACK AT THE VATICAN AFTER SPENDING NEARLY SIX WEEKS IN THE HOSPITAL FOR PNEUMONIA IN BOTH LUNGS. HE CAME OUT ON A BALCONY TO WAVE TO HIS SUPPORTERS BEFORE BEING DISCHARGED. JOINING US NOW, DOCTOR ALI RAJA, DEPUTY CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE AT MGH. DOCTOR RAJA, GOOD TO SEE YOU. THANKS FOR LENDING US YOUR EXPERTISE. THANKS, BEN. ALL RIGHT. SO, AS YOU KNOW, POPE FRANCIS, 88 YEARS OLD, HIS DOCTORS SAY THE INFECTION THAT PUT HIM IN THE HOSPITAL CAUSED SOME PRETTY SERIOUS DAMAGE TO HIS LUNGS AND HIS RESPIRATORY MUSCLES. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE HIS ODDS RIGHT NOW? FOR A FULL RECOVERY? WELL, BEN, YOU’RE RIGHT. AT 88, IT’S A REALLY SERIOUS SITUATION. I’M HOPEFUL THAT HE’S GOING TO RECOVER FULLY, BUT THE NEXT 6 TO 8 WEEKS ARE REALLY GOING TO BE CRITICAL. SO THAT’S WHEN WE’RE GOING TO LEARN IF HIS LUNGS CAN REALLY HEAL WELL ENOUGH AND WHETHER HIS RESPIRATORY SYSTEM CAN REGAIN ITS PREVIOUS STRENGTH. SO HIS MEDICAL TEAM IS GOING TO BE WATCHING CLOSELY. THEY’RE GOING TO MONITOR HIS OXYGEN LEVELS. THEY’RE GOING TO MONITOR HIS LUNG CAPACITY, HOW WELL HE’S BREATHING ON HIS OWN AND HIS OVERALL STAMINA AT HIS AGE. RECOVERY CAN REALLY TAKE MONTHS, BUT I AM REALLY HOPEFUL THAT HE’LL BE ALL THE WAY BACK. THE IMPORTANT THING IS EACH DAY WITHOUT A SETBACK IS DEFINITELY A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION FOR HIM. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. WE KNOW PNEUMONIA IS DANGEROUS FOR OLDER ADULTS, ESPECIALLY OVER THE AGE OF 65, BUT WHAT’S THE RISK FOR YOUNGER PEOPLE? THAT’S A GREAT QUESTION, JESSICA BECAUSE YOU’RE RIGHT. WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT OLDER ADULTS, BUT PNEUMONIA CAN ABSOLUTELY AFFECT HEALTHY YOUNG ADULTS AS WELL, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT FOLLOWS SOMETHING LIKE THE FLU. SO IT TURNS OUT INFLUENZA IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON TRIGGERS FOR PNEUMONIA. THE FLU WEAKENS YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM, AND IT OPENS THE DOOR FOR BACTERIAL INFECTIONS LIKE PNEUMOCOCCUS THAT CAUSES PNEUMONIA. ADD ON SMOKING OR ASTHMA, OR A SUPPRESSED IMMUNE SYSTEM. AND YOU OFTEN FIND YOUNG PATIENTS WHO DEVELOP PNEUMONIA, ESPECIALLY DURING FLU SEASON. ALL RIGHT. IF YOU HAD PNEUMONIA BEFORE, ARE YOU MORE LIKELY TO GET IT AGAIN? BEN I HEAR THAT QUESTION ALL THE TIME. WHEN I DIAGNOSE PEOPLE WITH PNEUMONIA. AND UNFORTUNATELY, THE ANSWER IS YES. SO A PRIOR PNEUMONIA, ESPECIALLY A SERIOUS PNEUMONIA LIKE ONE THAT’S GONE ON FOR SIX WEEKS, IT CAN CAUSE LINGERING LUNG CHANGES THAT MAKE YOU MORE VULNERABLE IN THE FUTURE. AND SO THAT’S WHY PREVENTION IS REALLY IMPORTANT. SO IF I COULD GIVE YOU ALL AND YOUR VIEWERS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE, IT’S TO GET YOUR FLU SHOT EVERY YEAR BY PREVENTING THE FLU, YOU CAN PREVENT A FOLLOW UP PNEUMONIA. ALSO, IF YOU’RE OLDER OR HAVE HEALTH CONDITIONS, YOU CAN GET A PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINE TO DIRECTLY PREVENT PNEUMONIA AS WELL. ALL RIGHT, DOCTOR RAJA, WE ALWAYS APPRECIAT