24,000 children under-5 die of pneumonia in Bangladesh every year
Some 24,300 children aged 0-5 years die of pneumonia in Bangladesh each year.
This means 67 children under the age of five die of pneumonia in the united states every day. Of these, 52% of children die in the home without getting any treatment.
It had been revealed at a view-exchange programme organised by Research for Decision Makers (RDM) and Data for Impact (D4I) at the ICDDR,B on Wednesday - a day before World Pneumonia Day 2020.
Speaking on the occasion, professionals said the problem of pneumonia prevention in the country is not getting due importance.
At the beginning of the programme, Dr Quamrun Nahar, Head of Research, Maternal and Child Health Division, icddr, b, said there's been a whole lot of improvement in medical sector of Bangladesh within the last two decades. There has been marked progress in reducing infant mortality. Yet over 24,000 children beneath the age of 5 are losing their lives to pneumonia.
Dr Ahmed Ehsanur Rahman, Associate Scientist, Maternal and Child Health Division, icddr,b, presented the keynote paper, entitled "Pneumonia in Bangladesh: where we are and what we need to do".
He said 52% of deaths caused by pneumonia take place in the home with no treatment, while 3% of deaths occur at home with treatment.
The rest of the 45% of pneumonia deaths happen in hospitals or healthcare centres, he maintained, adding that the Covid-19 situation can provide rise to the amount of deaths caused by pneumonia.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called on hospitals to ensure 10 things to reduce deaths from pneumonia. But a survey conducted in 2017 discovered that only 5% of those instructions were ensured in district hospitals in the country.
In 2011, 11.7 from every 1,000 children born in the country died of pneumonia before they reached their fifth birthday, said the keynote paper, adding that the ratio has come down to 8.1 per 1,000 children now.
Based on the global target, the quantity of deaths per 1,000 live births ought to be reduced to 3 by 2025.
Dr Ruhul Amin, professor of Pediatrics at Dhaka Shishu Hospital, stressed breastfeeding to avoid pneumonia among children.
He said, "A baby should be exclusively breastfed for half a year. After six months, soft rice and vegetables ought to be put into the baby's diet chart, while breastfeeding ought to be continued before baby reaches 2 yrs of age."
He also called for reducing environmental pollution to avoid pneumonia and emphasised building awareness among persons to ensure that they bring a kid to a healthcare centre whenever the kid shows any symptom of pneumonia.
Prof Dr Samir Saha, executive director of Child Health Research Foundation, said, "We have to work to reduce deaths from pneumonia. Furthermore, we need to reduce pneumonia cases."
Mentioning that the complexities behind about 50% of pneumonia cases remain unknown, she said, "If you wish to prevent pneumonia, you will need to take steps to determine the cause."
Dr Md Jobayer Chishti, senior scientist at Hospitals Nutrition and Clinical Services Division of the icddr,b, said children who are deficient in oxygen have a higher mortality rate because of pneumonia. Therefore, it is vital to have pulse oximeters in every health centre, he added.
"Deaths from pneumonia can be reduced by ensuring oxygen supply to patients with pneumonia through using the indigenous innovation Bubble CPAP," he maintained.
Stating that 15% of children die of pneumonia because of malnutrition, he suggested eliminating malnutrition among children to keep them safe from pneumonia.
