Parents sensitised on risk of infant pneumonia
PHOTO: AFP
There is no food or tonic better than mother's milk for the health and physical development of newborns, said Postgraduate Medical Institute (PGMI) Principal Professor Dr Al-Fareed Zafar while addressing participants of a seminar on Pneumonia at Lahore General Hospital (LGH) on Sunday.
He instructed mothers to breastfeed their infants for at least 6 months to develop immunity and they can protect against seasonal influences, pneumonia, respiratory disease, flu and chest infection.
Medical experts said that according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 2.6 million children lose their lives due to pneumonia globally.
Pneumonia is a disease of the lungs and respiratory system that, causing difficulty in breathing, high fever, chest infection, vomiting, drowsiness, congestion and tremors.
Principal Postgraduate Medical Institute (PGMI) said that pneumonia can occur at any age, but immunocompromised people and children should take special precautions during winter to prevent catching the disease.
He highlighted that the pneumonia vaccine was included in the immunization course for newborns in the EPI programm, further urging parents to inoculate their newborns at any cost.
It must be done so that the children are protected from infectious diseases by strengthening the immune system, he stated.
Dr Zafar added that especially in winter, the healthcare of newborn children is essential and parents should make sure to follow precautionary measures, given their reliance on external care at that age.
He added that it is duty of parents to take full care of their children, as negligence and failure to complete immunizations could put infants at risk from life-threatening diseases, including pneumonia.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 14th, 2022