Pneumonia kills more than 200 children in Pakistan
At least 220 children have died of pneumonia in Pakistan’s Punjab province so far this year.
Health authorities attributed the rise in deaths to the weather in Pakistan, where extreme cold and a lack of rain have created ideal conditions for pneumonia to take hold.
“Pneumonia cases happen each year, but this year January remains dry, with no rainfall so far,” said Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, director of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation in Punjab. “Rainfall settles the dust and combats pollution levels to a great extent.”
Data shared by the Punjab Health Department on Wednesday said 14 children had died of pneumonia in the province in the previous 24 hours alone.
This year, more than 10,500 pneumonia cases have been reported in the province, which has a population of 127.7 million. All 220 deaths were children under the age of five, with 47 deaths in Lahore, the provincial capital.
Dr Ahmed said babies in Pakistan are usually administered with their first anti-pneumonia vaccine at about six weeks old.
“From birth until the age of two, the EPI ensures that a baby receives 12 vaccines against different diseases,” he said.
“Of these, three are to protect children from pneumonia. Pneumonia can be caused by both bacteria and virus. Vaccinated children are safe against bacterial infection, but they can still be affected by viral pneumonia.”
Discussing the measures being taken by the government, he said separate wards had been established in various hospitals to tackle the pneumonia epidemic.
Ali Nawaz, a Lahore resident whose two-year-old nephew has pneumonia, told The National the toddler was treated for four days at Services Hospital Lahore and is now well on the road to recovery.
“Initially, the child started coughing and subsequently caught fever the same day,” said Mr Nawaz.
“However, when we took him to the children’s hospital, we learnt it was pneumonia. After spending a day at Children’s Hospital Lahore, we took the child to Services Hospital, where our relative is a senior doctor. After five days, the doctors have now advised that the baby can be taken home.”
Provincial authorities have launched a working group of doctors and health officials to monitor pneumonia cases daily, said senior health official Dr Muhammad Younas.
“Emergency has been declared at hospitals,” he said.
“The technical group registers the number of cases on a daily basis and also monitors various health facilities in the province to ensure adequate care for the patients.
“On the district level, too, staff members have been specified at hospitals to ensure proper treatment of pneumonia-hit children.
“I think the government has already maximised health facilities down to the union council level.”
He pointed to a lack of education about health care in parts of the province.
“Many people still avoid family planning, particularly in rural areas, or lack education, and they bring children to hospital when their child’s condition has already worsened.”