22:58
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LAHORE
Over five million children die of pneumonia in the world every year and out of them at least 100,000 die in Pakistan. About 80 percent children in Pakistan suffer from malnutrition and as a result every tenth child dies before reaching his fifth birthday,” medical experts said during a seminar organised by the Mir Khalilur Rahman Memorial Society (Jang Group of Newspapers) at a hotel the other day.
The experts stressed children vaccination against pneumonia, especially when the government has included pneumococcal vaccine in the Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI). Dr Yaqoob Qazi, Professor of Paediatrics, Children’s Hospital, said that population in Pakistan was increasing at a fast pace, saying that 52 percent of its total population comprised children and lack of resources were causing a lot of issues, including malnutrition and respiratory problems, among the children.
“The system’s failure started with failure in family planning,” he said and added that the ratio of child deaths was very high in the country due to the widening gap between population and resources. He said there was a need of at least 100 hospitals of the size of the Mayo Hospital in Lahore in view of its expanding population. He said the entire population’s burden was on a few hospitals which were unable to bear the load of patients, therefore, healthcare was being affected. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), infections were the biggest causes of deaths among people in developing countries. The medical experts also emphasized upon the government to involve Lady Health Visitors (LHVs) in the EPI programme to provide treatment, medicines and vaccines to the people at their doorsteps in the far-flung areas which would help improve health indicators. They believed that the people from the private sector were also reluctant to open private hospitals and clinics in the underprivileged areas due to poverty and inability of the population to pay the fee. They said there was a need to administer three injections in three months to children under two years to prevent pneumonia, adding that vaccination against pneumonia could be done among children for up to nine years of age.
Dr Waqar Hussain, Professor of Paediatrics of Sheikh Zayed Hospital, counted the causes of pneumonia like lack of breastfeeding to the children and indoor and outdoor pollution. He said effects of a single cigarette smoked in a room remained there for up to 36 hours, which could also cause pneumonia among children. He said pneumonia was a big issue in developing countries like Pakistan, which was reflected through the largest ratio of children dying before reaching the age of five. He said pneumococcal vaccine, a very effective one, was available in Pakistan, saying that the government had done its job by including the vaccination in the EPI programme and now it was the responsibility of parents to vaccinate their children against pneumonia.
Over five million children die of pneumonia in the world every year and out of them at least 100,000 die in Pakistan. About 80 percent children in Pakistan suffer from malnutrition and as a result every tenth child dies before reaching his fifth birthday,” medical experts said during a seminar organised by the Mir Khalilur Rahman Memorial Society (Jang Group of Newspapers) at a hotel the other day.
The experts stressed children vaccination against pneumonia, especially when the government has included pneumococcal vaccine in the Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI). Dr Yaqoob Qazi, Professor of Paediatrics, Children’s Hospital, said that population in Pakistan was increasing at a fast pace, saying that 52 percent of its total population comprised children and lack of resources were causing a lot of issues, including malnutrition and respiratory problems, among the children.
“The system’s failure started with failure in family planning,” he said and added that the ratio of child deaths was very high in the country due to the widening gap between population and resources. He said there was a need of at least 100 hospitals of the size of the Mayo Hospital in Lahore in view of its expanding population. He said the entire population’s burden was on a few hospitals which were unable to bear the load of patients, therefore, healthcare was being affected. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), infections were the biggest causes of deaths among people in developing countries. The medical experts also emphasized upon the government to involve Lady Health Visitors (LHVs) in the EPI programme to provide treatment, medicines and vaccines to the people at their doorsteps in the far-flung areas which would help improve health indicators. They believed that the people from the private sector were also reluctant to open private hospitals and clinics in the underprivileged areas due to poverty and inability of the population to pay the fee. They said there was a need to administer three injections in three months to children under two years to prevent pneumonia, adding that vaccination against pneumonia could be done among children for up to nine years of age.
Dr Waqar Hussain, Professor of Paediatrics of Sheikh Zayed Hospital, counted the causes of pneumonia like lack of breastfeeding to the children and indoor and outdoor pollution. He said effects of a single cigarette smoked in a room remained there for up to 36 hours, which could also cause pneumonia among children. He said pneumonia was a big issue in developing countries like Pakistan, which was reflected through the largest ratio of children dying before reaching the age of five. He said pneumococcal vaccine, a very effective one, was available in Pakistan, saying that the government had done its job by including the vaccination in the EPI programme and now it was the responsibility of parents to vaccinate their children against pneumonia.
Posted in: Lahore
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