As you read this piece, one child under five would have died of pneumonia somewhere in the world. Alarming, but true. Closer home, around 15,000 children under the age of five die in Gujarat every year because of pneumonia. Here, the ratio of deaths is more among children under one year of age.
In a bid to create awareness about the killer disease, the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP), Gujarat chapter embarked upon a campaign to organize rally in different towns of the state. This was announced in a press conference organised on the occasion of World Pneumonia Day on November 1. According to the treasurer of IAP, Dr Bhavesh Patel, "Pneumonia is the most dangerous and major killer diseases that is the biggest threat for children below five years. This is more alarming as parents, and even doctors in small and big towns are not very serious about the issue," he said.
Therefore, IAP wants to create awareness among the masses through these rallies and similar events, Patel said. Doctors also said that a major cause of pneumonia in children is lack of breast feeding till at least six months from the day of child's birth. This allows the kids to have strong and better immune system, the experts at the event stated.
The former national president of Indian Paediatricians Association (IPA) Dr Navin Thackar, Kutch branch of IPA and Gandhidham branch of Indian Medical Association (IMA) too organized a rally on Sunday in view of the World Pneumanion Day.
'We are attempting to create awareness about this hidden disease which kills four million people in the world, mostly infants. So far the highest infant mortality was considered to be from diarrhoea. Pneumonia kills one child in every 15 seconds and 98% deaths take place in developing countries including India. The high death toll could be effectively checked with full awareness about this preventable disease," said Dr Thackar.
