Pneumonia Cases Following an EF-5 Tornado

The author describes pneumonia cases admitted to Freeman Health System in Joplin, Missouri from May 2009 to May 2012. She found a higher incidence of pneumonia cases, particularly those caused by uncommon microbes, in the group of cases that lived or worked in the tornado zone in the year following the Joplin tornado. She concludes that respiratory infections many increase following tornadoes, and should be treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics, not currently standard practice for community-acquired pneumonia.