High child mortality from pneumonia places Pakistan in fourth place in world

On November 12, 2015, the world will recognize World Pneumonia Day to raise awareness of pneumonia, promote prevention, treatment and generate action to fight the illness. World Pneumonia Day supports all efforts made to protect and treat people against pneumonia--the single largest cause of child deaths worldwide. Health experts says that Pneumonia claims the lives of around 100,000 children aged below five in Pakistan every year. The high child mortality from pneumonia places Pakistan in fourth place in world. In addition this is a regional issue. The top 10 countries in terms of child deaths caused by pneumonia are in Asia.

“Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that is usually caused by bacteria or viruses. The viruses and bacteria that are commonly found in a child’s nose or throat can infect the lungs if they are inhaled. They may also spread via air-borne drops from a cough or sneeze. The signs and symptoms of pneumonia include: fever, sweating and shaking chills; lower than normal body temperature in people older than age 65, and in people with poor overall health or weakened immune systems; cough that may produce thick, sticky fluid; chest pain when you breathe deeply or cough; shortness of breath; fatigue and muscle aches; nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea; and headache.
Antibiotics and antiviral medications can treat many common forms of pneumonia but health experts says that pneumonia could be prevented by adopting precautionary measures including vaccinating children against the disease and awareness raising among the people because One of the most important reasons that pneumonia exists in the Pakistan is the unhygienic conditions here.In the past, kitchens were far from other rooms. But now it has become a trend to build them next to other rooms and the smoke from the kitchen enters other rooms, causing pulmonary diseases especially pneumonia among children if our houses has been designed in a way that kitchens are amid other rooms and besides, nobody should smoke at home and the second most important habit of mostly people in Pakistan is “use of contaminated water also caused pneumonia. It can be prevented with adopt our habit to use Boiled and clean water can be helpful to prevent this disease.

“Mother’s milk is the best tonic for children and acts like vaccine against many diseases that generally affect children. According to a research, the breast feeding ratio in Pakistan is 25 percent for one-year-old children. This ratio caters to the first few months of birth, only reducing four percent while approaching the closing months of the year.

Pneumonia is preventable and treatable with host of proven interventions, including exclusive breastfeeding infants in their first six months of life, ensuring an environment free of indoor air pollution and promoting frequent hand washing, immunizing against leading causes, and ensuring access to medical care and antibiotics when cases do emerge. Appropriately treating underlying causes such as malnutrition, and exclusively breast-feeding children for the first six months of their life can decrease the risk of pneumonia. Vaccination before the onset of winter can be prevented of all children and a behavior change campaign to increase among the masses can be helpful for us to save our next generation.