Pneumonia still kills millions every year

Pneumonia kills millions every year, children in particular. 15 countries account for 75% of childhood pneumonia cases world wide; the number of cases in India is the highest. A healthy child has many natural defences that protect it from pneumonia.

A RECENT, joint UNICEF-WHO report has drawn attention to the scourge of pneumonia. Pneumonia kills millions of people, especially children, ever year. It kills more children than any other disease - more than AIDS, malaria and measles combined. Thus it calls for immediate attention on the part of all policy makers in the area of public health. Pneumonia causes almost 1 in 5 out of the under-five deaths worldwide and the death of more than 2 million children each year. The said report states that fifteen countries account for three quarters of childhood pneumonia cases world wide; in India, the number of cases is the highest.

Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs caused by an infection. Many different organisms can cause it, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Children with pneumonia may manifest a range of symptoms, depending on their age and the cause of infection. Bacterial pneumonia usually causes severe illness in children, giving rise to high fever and rapid breathing. Viral infections, however, often gain gradually and may worsen over time. Some common symptoms of pneumonia in children and infants include rapid or difficult breathing, cough, fever, chills, headaches, loss of appetite and wheezing. Children under five with severe cases of pneumonia may struggle to breathe, their chests moving in or retracting, during inhalation. Young infants may suffer convulsions, unconsciousness, hypothermia, lethargy and feeding problems.

A healthy child has many natural defences that protect its lungs from the invading pathogens that cause pneumonia. However, children and infants with compromised immune systems have weak defences. Undernourished children, particularly those not exclusively breastfed or with inadequate zinc intake, are at a higher risk of contracting pneumonia. Similarly, children and infants suffering from other illnesses, such as AIDS or measles, are more likely to contract pneumonia. Environmental factors, such as living in crowded homes and exposure to parental smoking or indoor air pollution, may also have a role to play in increasing the children’s susceptibility to pneumonia and its severe consequences.

Prompt treatment of pneumonia with a full course of appropriate antibiotics is life-saving. But it needs medicare, which is a challenge in the developing world. There are published guidelines for diagnosing and treating pneumonia in community settings. But preventing children from contracting pneumonia in the first place is essential for reducing child deaths. Key prevention measures include promoting adequate nutrition (including breastfeeding and zinc intake), raising immunization rates and reducing indoor air pollution. Because pneumonia kills more children than any other illness, any effort to improve overall child survival must treat the reduction of pneumonia-related death toll as a priority. And preventing children from contracting pneumonia in the first place is critical to reducing their death toll.

Anil Gulati
Source - www.merinews.com