Make pneumonia public health priority—Hrep

Health and Rights Education Programme (Hrep) has asked health authorities to make pneumonia a public health priority.

Hrep has also called upon government and authorities to ensure that pneumonia vaccine and treatment are always available in health facilities as it is a right and not a privilege.

“Pneumonia can be prevented and cured. Yet, for too long, it has been the leading cause of global deaths among children. We know what to do and we have made great progress, but we must do more,” reads in part the statement signed by Hrep executive director Maziko Matemba.

The organisation released the statement on Saturday as Malawi joined the rest of the world in commemorating the World Pneumonia Day which is celebrated on November 12.

Events on the day seek to raise awareness, promote prevention and treatment and generate action to fight the disease.

Pneumonia is a form of acute respiratory infection that affects the lungs, making breathing painful and limiting oxygen intake. It is the most frequent cause of death in children under the age of five.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, child pneumonia deaths account for an estimated 18 percent of under-five mortality of which three percent occur during the neonatal period.

Incidences of pneumonia and the case-fatality rate are highest among infants and decline with increasing age.

Malawi has over the past decade made significant progress reducing deaths in children under five; however, pneumonia remains the single biggest killer, taking the lives of an estimated 1 000 babies and young children in 2010. n