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Tuesday March 19, 2024

World Pneumonia Day observed at RMU

By Muhammad Qasim
November 13, 2018

Rawalpindi: Pneumonia considered as the number one killer of children kills an estimated one million children under the age of five every years around the globe, majority of which are of children below one year of age. Out of these, 99 per cent of deaths occur in developing countries.

In Pakistan, well over 90,000 children die before their fifth birthday and if not all, at least 70 per cent of these deaths can be avoided with the help of prevention and in time management of the cases.

Dean of Paediatrics Department at Rawalpindi Medical University Professor Rai Asghar said this while talking to participants of a seminar organized jointly by Pakistan Paediatric Association and Paediatric Department of Rawalpindi Medical University in connection with World Pneumonia Day observed on Monday.

Senior paediatricians from the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi attended the seminar. Professor Rai gave an overview of childhood pneumonia in Pakistan while Dr Ejaz Ahmed Khan from Shifa International Hospital discussed treatment protocols.

General (r) Salman Ali Principal Fizaia Medical College, Professor Samiya Naeemullah, Brig (r) Shahid Aziz, Prof Mahmood Jamal Ex ED PIMS and Prof Shahzad Munir were among the expert panel at the seminar.

Professor Rai said prevention from pneumonia is easy and moreover very effective vaccine is available and included in our Expanded Program on Immunisation so it is important to give awareness to the community.

He said the mortalities due to pneumonia around the globe have been reduced to a great level after introduction of pneumococal vaccine and haemophilus influenzae type B (HIB) vaccine and these vaccines which are available at all EPI centres across Pakistan must be administered to children below five years of age.

Dr. Rai said both the viral and bacterial infection can cause pneumonia and the risk factor is higher in winter. He said breastfeeding for two years and prevention from cold can help avoiding incidence of pneumonia among infants. To avoid pneumonia, parents should use warm clothing for children and avoid them from getting wet, he said.

Smoke from both tobacco and fuel may cause pneumonia among children and to avoid pneumonia, it is necessary to keep children’s environment clean. Children should not be allowed to remain barefooted, he said.

Talking of the symptoms of pneumonia, he said fast breathing and lower chest wall indrawing are the main symptoms of pneumonia. A patient of severe pneumonia must need admission to the hospital while simple pneumonia patients can be treated at home, he said.

He said a patient of severe pneumonia also suffer from difficulty in breathing with severe respiratory distress along with central cyanosis in which colour of hands and feet particularly gets bluish.

On treatment protocols, the experts at the seminar said children suffering from either severe or simple pneumonia must be taken to the nearest healthcare facility without wastage of time and must be examined by a qualified physician.

Professor Rai, however, said general cough syrups and medicines for cold available in markets are contraindicated among young children as they may cause life-threatening complications. Instead of giving general cough syrups and medicines for cold, safe home remedies should be given to children like lukewarm green tea with honey to safeguard them from respiratory tract infections including pneumonia, he said.