Pneumonia Kills a Child under-Five Every 45 Seconds, Daily-Save the Children

Although pneumonia is a largely preventable and treatable disease, at least one child under five dies every 45 seconds every day from it.

This was revealed by Save the Children East and Southern Africa during World’s Pneumonia Day on Saturday.

They said to stop pneumonia, they urged the government to prioritize equitable access to primary healthcare for all.

Further, they said, preventive measures such as immunization should be prioritized and be put in place in all health centres.

“The prevention and treatment of wasting and the diagnosis and treatment of commons cause of illness and death for every child is needed,” they said.

According to the organization, almost a third of all pneumonia deaths are caused by air pollution.

Toward this end, it urged leaders at COP27 to recognize climate crises as a child right crises and poses a serious threat to children’s health and well-being.

During this year’s pneumonia Day the Ministry of Health and other partners launched the new Integrated Community Case Management Implementation Framework, ICCM.

This framework aims to contribute to the reduction of childhood mortality through the provision of quality community case management for children with Malaria, Pneumonia, diarrhea and malnutrition.

This will be coupled with identification and referral of newborns who have danger signs to a health facility.

The framework takes Kenya one step forward in ensuring children under five thrives.