Experts stress on creating awareness about Pneumonia

Addressing a press conference in connection with the First World Pneumonia Day observed here, Dr Reddy said in view of lack of awareness, five lakh children below five years were dying annually in the country as against 18 lakh deaths all over the world. He said early detection and treatment of pneumonia could save 1.5 lakh preventive casualties.

Dr Reddy said awareness levels in India were too low for Pneumococcal disease that kills more children than AIDS, Malaria and Measles combined.

A coordinated and concerted global effort would help ensure that pneumonia gets the much needed attention that would lead stakeholders and governments to develop, implement and monitor comprehensive programmes.

Consultant Paediatrician of Mahavir Hospital Dr S Srikrishna welcomed the Union Health Ministry's move to introduce a pentavalent (five-in-one) vaccine which includes Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib), one of the two bacteria causing pneumonia and meningitis.

Stating that vaccination was the most cost-effective way of preventing pneumonia, Dr Srikrishna underlined the need to increase the coverage of Measles and DPT. The Government should take initiative with the help of international agencies like GAVI in introducing Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine at subsidised cost in the National Immunisation Programme (NIP), he added.

''India cannot achieve the Millennium Development Goal 4 of reducing child mortality by two-thirds unless we tackle the pneumonia burden (and of course diarrhoea burden) in the country. A simple three-pronged solution--protect, prevent, and treat-- has the potential to save more than a million children every year,'' Dr A Tilak Chandrapal said.

-- (UNI) -- 02MS27.xml

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