ISLAMABAD - World Pneumonia Day is being observed around
the world, including Pakistan, today (Tuesday). Pneumonia claims an
innocent child s life every 30 seconds making it the number one global
cause of childhood mortality. In Pakistan alone, it is responsible for
the death of 92,000 children of under 5 years of age annually and
contributes 18 per cent to the total global child deaths.
Pneumonia is a form of acute respiratory infection that affects the lungs. When an individual has pneumonia, the alveoli (small sacs in lungs which 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 younger than age 2 years are at higher risk of contracting pneumonia as their immune systems are still developing. Symptoms of pneumonia in children include rapid or difficult breathing, cough, fever, chills, headaches, loss of appetite and wheezing. They may also face difficulty to breathe, with their chests moving in or retracting during inhalation.
Although the death toll due to pneumonia is too high, vaccines hold promise of saving children from dying of pneumonia. Vaccines can protect children by preparing their bodies to fight many potentially deadly diseases. They are responsible for the control of many infectious diseases that were once common around the world, including smallpox, polio, measles, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), rubella (German measles), mumps, tetanus, and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib).
Pneumonia is a form of acute respiratory infection that affects the lungs. When an individual has pneumonia, the alveoli (small sacs in lungs which 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 younger than age 2 years are at higher risk of contracting pneumonia as their immune systems are still developing. Symptoms of pneumonia in children include rapid or difficult breathing, cough, fever, chills, headaches, loss of appetite and wheezing. They may also face difficulty to breathe, with their chests moving in or retracting during inhalation.
Although the death toll due to pneumonia is too high, vaccines hold promise of saving children from dying of pneumonia. Vaccines can protect children by preparing their bodies to fight many potentially deadly diseases. They are responsible for the control of many infectious diseases that were once common around the world, including smallpox, polio, measles, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), rubella (German measles), mumps, tetanus, and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib).
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