Experts stress precautionary measures to prevent pneumonia

LAHORE: Principal PGMI/AMC Prof Al-Fareed Zafar has said that pneumonia is fatal for infants and weak people as aged people and children with low immunity are the easy targets of this disease.

Thousands of children suffering from many diseases, including pneumonia, die before their first birthday. ‘As per holy Quran, the mothers should feed their children for two years which will also enhance immunity in kids and will protect infants and mothers from all fatal diseases, including pneumonia,’ he said while talking to the participants of the awareness walk in connection with World Pneumonia Day organised by the Department of Pediatrics, Lahore General Hospital. Health professionals, including Prof Muhammad Shahid, Prof Faheem Afzal, MS Prof Dr Nudrat Sohail, Dr Javed Magsi, Dr Nadia Arshad, Dr Muzammil, Dr Usman Ali and Dr Abdul Aziz were present. Talking to the participants and the media, Prof Al-Fareed Zafar said that during the winter season, environmental pollution and smog is the major cause of lung infections and pneumonia so the elderly and children need to take special precautionary measures in this season in order to secure themselves from any deadly disease.

He highlighted that the Punjab government has also included the injection of Pneumonia vaccine (Pneumococcal) in the immunisation programme of children and now the facility of immunisation against 10 different diseases in the age of two years is provided by the province which is available in all health centres. He said that it is now the responsibility of the parents to take full advantage of this facility provided by the government and secure the future of their children.

There is a lack of awareness among the general public who neglect their responsibilities regarding children's health, due to which millions of children die every year due to various diseases, pneumonia is one among them, he added. According to a UNICEF report, a child loses his life in every 43 seconds globally due to pneumonia.

Medical experts narrated in their discussion that pneumonia has proved to be a very dangerous and life-threatening disease, but with preventive measures this disease can be overcome. They said that this disease can affect a person of any age, but its rate is relatively high in children; however, according to a report, millions of children die due to pneumonia every year. Medical experts highlighting the early symptoms of pneumonia informed that cough, high fever, chest pain, vomiting and difficult breathing are the main signs of this disease. They advised taking the maximum amount of water, protect from the cold in winter and consult timely the doctors.

Dr Nadia Arshad said that there are basically three types of pneumonia which include ‘Bacterial, Viral and Fungal Pneumonia’. She said that if the fever lasts for more than three days and the cough does not go well, it can also be a symptom of pneumonia, but food rich in vitamin C can play a role in preventing pneumonia.