Awareness must for prevention
Awareness must for prevention
Say health experts
Lack of awareness prevents 63 percent of children suffering from pneumonia from accessing healthcare facilities leading to fatal consequences in many cases, health experts said at a roundtable yesterday.
As pneumonia causes nearly 20,000 deaths of children under the age of five every year, preventing the disease through vaccination and awareness can save thousands of lives, they added.
Poriprekkhit organised the discussion at The Daily Star Centre, observing World Pneumonia Day.
Simple strategies like using smoke-free stoves reduce 50 percent risk of contracting pneumonia, said Dr Samir Kumar Saha, executive director of Child Health Research Foundation.
He said exclusive breast feeding during the first six months after birth makes children largely immune to pneumonia, but only 43 percent of Bangladeshi children are exclusively breast fed.
Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services Prof Deen Mohammad Noorul Haq said the country's Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) is expected to run campaigns for pneumococcal vaccine by this year.
Health Minister Mohammed Nasim was present as the chief guest at the programme.