We must do more to prevent pneumonia

The fact that pneumonia, despite being a preventable and easily diagnosed disease, is still the leading cause of child morality in Bangladesh is one of the most heartbreaking failures of our healthcare system. Every year, it kills around 24,000 children. This year's statistics have been equally chilling, with the Dhaka Shishu Hospital alone admitting 3,384 patients as of December 23. And in just the last 53 days, 92 of them died, in a trend that reportedly surpassed the hospital's previous records.

In 2020, researchers from Johns Hopkins University had found that over 100,000 children under the age of five in Bangladesh could die from pneumonia between 2020 and 2023, and that 48,000 of these deaths could be averted if Bangladesh significantly scaled up services to prevent and treat the disease. Moreover, boosting pneumonia services can create a "ripple effect" that can save an additional 92,000 children from dying of other major diseases, the study had said. We must ask then: did the government take appropriate measures? Why do most hospitals, especially in the rural areas, still not have proper medical support for pneumonia patients?

There are other concerns as well. Studies show that 40 percent of the children affected with pneumonia do not receive essential treatment. Moreover, the vaccine used under the government's EPI programme can fight the bacterial cause of the disease but pneumonia caused by other organisms, such as viruses and fungi, cannot be prevented by such vaccines. Among the leading causes of pneumonia are air pollution, lack of nutrition, and lack of awareness in general—which continue to remain unaddressed. Bangladesh also lacks measures to properly study this disease in our country.

All these indicate that our health system is still not committed and equipped enough to address the threat that pneumonia and such respiratory diseases pose to children and other vulnerable groups. This is deeply frustrating. True, Bangladesh has had some success in preventing child mortality over the years, but we cannot rest on our laurels when so many are still dying from pneumonia. The government must do more to address this threat.