*TODAT ID WORLD PNUEMONIA DAY*

Pneumonia, an acute infection that inflames air sacs in one or both lungs, is the leading cause of death among children under five years of age in India.

In 2015, pneumonia killed 920,136 children under the age of five - accounting for 16 percent of all deaths of children under five years old.

It is said that the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria that cause ‘pneumococcal pneumonia’ are responsible for about one-third of all pneumonia deaths globally as well as in India.

⏺What are the symptoms and different types of pneumonia?
Pneumonia affects children and families everywhere. The disease is caused by a number of infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria, and fungi. The major types of pneumonia are:

🔸Bacterial pneumonia - caused by a wide range of bacteria and is typically treated with antibiotics.

🔸Viral pneumonia - caused by a virus, and cannot be treated with antibiotics since they only kill bacteria.

🔸Mycoplasma pneumonia - caused by a germ known as a bacterium, which is smaller than a bacteria.

🔸Aspiration pneumonia - can occur when you inhale bacteria into your lungs from food, drink, or saliva.

⏺Symptoms of pneumonia can be mild to life-threatening and may include -

Fever

~Sweating, and chills

~Coughing that may produce phlegm or mucus

~Shortness of breath

~Chest pain

~Fast heart rate

~Nausea and vomiting

~Diarrhoea

~Fatigue

~Loss of appetite

⏺Is pneumonia contagious?

Pneumonia may also spread through blood, especially during and shortly after birth.

⏺How is pneumonia treated?
Treatment of pneumonia depends almost entirely on the specific cause of infection and how severe it is. For instance, if the infection is caused by bacteria, your doctor will prescribe you antibiotics. But pneumonia caused by a virus usually is not treated with antibiotics. Your doctor may also recommend over-the-counter (OTC) medication to help relieve your pain and fever, as needed.

In addition to medications, there are many things you can do such as –

~Getting plenty of rest and sleep

~Drinking lots of liquids

~Taking care of your cough

~Not smoking

⏺How can you prevent pneumonia?
Pneumonia can be prevented with simple interventions and treated with low-cost, low-tech medication and care.

Talk about the Indian scenario, targetted and effective work as well as the scaling up of life-saving interventions, such as the Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), will help the country achieve one of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals that is to reduce under-5 mortality, experts from the Indian Academy of Pediatrics were quoted as saying in a statement by news agency IANS.

They also believe that this move will help reduce pneumonia-related hospitalisation and the economic burden this places on families and the country's health system.

Under the UIP, the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine has been introduced to cover approximately 21 lakh children in the first year, in select states, with GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation) support.

Further, other measures such as adequate nutrition, exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months and continued breastfeeding up to two years with complementary feeding, prevention of indoor pollution from smoking or the use of dung/wood in stoves as well as maintaining good hygiene such as regular washing of hands can help prevent pneumonia.

World Pneumonia Day is celebrated every year on November 12 to raise awareness about pneumonia, the world’s leading killer of children under the age of five. The day aims to highlight the severity of pneumonia and encourages more organisations to look at ways of combating the disease.