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. Hence, 12th November marks the commemoration of World Pneumonia Day.
Although the death toll due to pneumonia is too high, vaccines hold promise of saving children from dying of pneumonia, said Dr Tariq Bhutta, Chairman National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group and Dr, Tahir Masood, senior Professor of Paediatrics at Children Hospital Lahore, at a press conference.
Pneumonia control and other child health interventions must be accelerated to meet Millennium Development Goal 4: Reduce under five mortality by two-thirds by 2015. Dr Tariq Bhutta said, "85 out of 1,000 children die under the age of 5 in Pakistan. Most of these deaths are unfortunately due to vaccine preventable diseases. We can safeguard their future by getting them vaccinated. It is their right! They should be protected against Pneumonia and other vaccine preventable diseases."
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 (known as 'lower chest wall in drawing').
Dr Tahir Masood said that the Pakistani government introduced the pneumococcal vaccine last year in its EPI program making Pakistan the first South Asian nation to provide free vaccination against pneumonia to infants. But, this vaccine inclusion alone is not enough, as in spite of the government's efforts to provide free vaccines to the children of Pakistan, a considerable number of children in the country remain non-vaccinated against pneumonia and other deadly diseases. Hence, the aim of preventing pneumonia should be taken up nationally by all citizens through ensuring timely visits to the EPI centre and vaccinating children against pneumonia and other deadly diseases for free, he added. Dr Tariq Bhutta stressed that Immunisation is a proven tool for controlling and eliminating life-threatening infectious diseases. It is one of the most cost-effective health investments.
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).
Every year due to vaccines, approximately 3,000,000 deaths are prevented and 750,000 children are saved from disability.
The Expanded Program on immunisation was launched in Pakistan during 1976. Today it is providing vaccines to every child of Pakistan free of cost. The EPI aims to protect children against 9 vaccine preventable diseases; Polio, Tuberculosis, Pertussis, Hepatitis B, Diphtheria, Tetanus, Hib disease, Measles and pneumonia, of which pneumonia is the latest addition. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (pneumonia vaccine) was introduced in Pakistan's EPI program in October, 2012.This achievement made Pakistan to be the first South Asian country to include PCV in its national immunisation program.
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