A SOUTHAMPTON physician says it is “concerning” that most Britons aged 40 to 64 are not aware they are at high risk of getting pneumonia.

It comes after just one in ten participants said they think they are most at risk of contracting this illness, as part of a survey by NHS medicine supplier Pfizer.

According to Pfizer, if someone in this age group fell ill with pneumonia, it would put them “out of action for up to six months”, which would involve less prepared meals, over 200 kilos of piled washing and 1,344,000 less dog walking steps.

The 2,300-adult survey found that 39 percent of them were concerned about letting people down if they fell ill.

Almost half of participants also said they have gone back to work while ill because they wanted to get back to a normal routine.

Dr Ben Marshall, consultant physician in respiratory and general medicine at University of Southampton, said: “It is concerning that awareness is so low amongst this age-group that they are at high risk of contracting pneumonia. This generation knows pneumonia is a serious illness, but they tend to think it only affects people who are older than them.

“What they do not realise is that the incidence of pneumococcal pneumonia begins to increase from the age of 45 and I have seen an increase in adults of this age-group with pneumonia presenting to the emergency department in my hospital throughout the year. With only 12 percent of those asked believing they are at risk of contracting pneumonia, I encourage the ‘sandwich generation’ to speak with healthcare professionals about the risks and how to protect themselves.”