Say no to pneumonia

The Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) has organised a ‘Say NO to Pneumonia’ campaign on the occasion of World Pneumonia Day today. The campaign, spread over a period of one month, is aimed at increasing the awareness about the disease and its preventive measures.

The campaign involves putting up banners, distributing pamphlets and counseling sessions with parents conducted by health workers.

However, the aim of the campaign is to teach parents how to identify pneumonia, said V V Varadarajan. “Globally, the disease kills an estimated 1.4 million children under the age of five every year and India accounts for 25 percent of it. We need to highlight the issue and make sure the vaccinations for pneumonia, Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) is included in the national immunisation programme,” he said.

 P Sudhakar, secretary of IAP, added that India would be an ideal candidate.

The campaign will also focus on the measures one needs to undertake to prevent pneumonia.

Clean environment, addressing the issue of malnutrition, breast feeding for the first six months of the baby’s life, timely immunisation and appropriate healthcare were listed out as the preventive measures for pneumonia.

Reiterating that vaccination is important, Varadarajan said, “Vaccination for pneumonia is best done when the child is under five years. That is one of first steps essential for preventing this disease.”