Pakistan is among those countries where each year hundreds of thousands children die due to Pneumonia. This occurs due to weak immune system of malnourished children, unhygienic practices, late diagnosis and avoiding vaccination.
This is why the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) & UNICEF aims to promote vaccination among children against Pneumonia along with breastfeeding, better nutrition and healthy practices such as handwashing.
It should be noted that pneumonia is the biggest cause of deaths in children aged less than 5 years, which means more children are killed by pneumonia than by diarrhea, malaria or any other disease.
This can be easily changed if immunization against Pneumococcus is more widespread, because it is the germ that causes the most severe pneumonia. This immunization requires 4 dozes, 3 are given in the first year and the last in 15th month.
Talking about pneumonia, Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF, said:
“Every day, nearly 2,200 children under the age of five die from pneumonia, a curable and mostly preventable disease. Strong global commitment and increased investments are critical to the fight against this disease. Only through cost-effective protective, preventative and treatment interventions delivered to where children are will we be able to truly save millions of lives.”
To save around 2,200 lives daily it is important to not only vaccinate children but also follow other important steps among which the most important is exclusive breastfeeding, drinking clean and safe water and washing hands to eliminate the changes of infection.