Earlier in the year, John Hopkins University presented their latest study regarding fighting pneumonia at an international forum held at Barcelona, Spain. The study presented some of the precautionary measures that could save up to 3.2 million children under the age of five from dying and simultaneously save 5.3 million people from dying of common childhood diseases. While addressing the forum, UNICEF Executive director remarked that:
“If we are serious about saving the lives of children, we have to get serious about fighting pneumonia”
Further “as the current corona virus outbreak shows, this means improving timely detection and prevention”.
Pneumonia is caused by those bacteria and viruses that leave people/children’s lungs filled with fluid and make them fight for their breath. The current wave of corona virus that has left China devastated also caused pneumonia and other respiratory diseases in people. This disease alone claimed 800,000 lives last year and although some of its types can be prevented with the help of vaccines and anti-biotic yet millions of children do not have an access to proper medical facilities. Lack of vaccines put 1 out of three children globally at the verge of catching this fatal disease.
As per UNICEF executive “making the right diagnosis and prescribing the right treatment”
Deprived and marginalized students are the most affected by it as current trend shows that the highest number of deaths from this disease would occur in Nigeria (1.4 million people) Ethiopia (350,000) Democratic republic of Congo (280,000) alone between the years 2020 – 2030.
Improved nutrition and better climate could help protect the disease as 91% of world population is breathing in non standardized air as declared by World Health Organization. John Hopkins University also declared that without fighting out the cases of mal nutrition fighting the diseases would be impossible.
Ms. Fore pointed to the need to address “the major causes of pneumonia deaths like malnutrition, lack of access to vaccines and antibiotics, and tackling the more difficult challenge of air pollution.”–Worldwide News