Pakistan among 5 countries with most pneumonia cases

Health experts stress the need for vaccinating children against the illness

LAHORE:

Pakistan is among the five countries that account for 99 per cent of childhood pneumonia cases, the participants were told at a briefing arranged by the Pakistan Pediatric Association (PPA) to mark World Pneumonia Day.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates, pneumonia accounts for 18 per cent of child deaths across the world making it the leading cause of death for children under five years of age. Pneumonia kills more children than AIDS, malaria and measles combined.



PPA president Tahir Masood said that despite availability of free pneumonia vaccine in the Expanded Programme on Immunisation programme, 92,000 children die of pneumonia in Pakistan every year. Lack of awareness is the leading reason behind this, he said. He said the pneumonia vaccine was included in the EPI in 2012. “Despite all government’s efforts, 46 per cent of the child population in Pakistan remains non-immunised.”

Masood said the World Pneumonia Day could be used as a platform to impart and share knowledge about the deadly disease.

PPA vice president Naeem Zafar said that preventing children from catching pneumonia in the first place was critical in reducing the death toll. “Preventing pneumonia averts treatment costs and allows children to stay healthy,” he said.



Zafar said vaccination helped save millions of children from pneumonia. Increase in vaccine coverage would help save 2.9 million lives and prevent 52 million cases of the illness.

PPA Punjab president Asif Kalim Sheikh said Pneumonia was a form of acute respiratory infection that affected lungs. “When an individual has pneumonia, the alveoli (small sacs in lungs that fill with air when a healthy person breathes) are filled with pus and fluid which makes breathing painful and limits oxygen intake. Infants and children less than two years of age are at higher risk of contracting pneumonia as their immune systems are still developing.” Sheikh said that in children, the signs and symptoms of pneumonia might vary depending upon the type of pathogen. However, the most common symptoms include rapid or difficult breathing, cough, fever, chills, headaches, loss of appetite and wheezing.

“It is very unfortunate that such a large number of children are dying in our country because of vaccine-preventable diseases like pneumonia. We can fight this menace by educating our masses through media, concluded health experts,” Sheikh said.

Remembering Pakistan’s silent killer on World Pneumonia Day

Sargodha

The Health Department organised a ceremony at the DHQ hospital to mark World the Pneumonia Day.

ENT specialist Khalil Rehman Rana said children less than two years of age were at higher risk of contracting pneumonia.

Dr Sikandar stressed the need for vaccinating children against the disease. He said purpose of observing the day was to raise awareness about pneumonia, promote prevention and generate action to fight the illness. A large number of doctors, health department officials and civil society activists were present on the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2015.