RP, 7 other Asia-Pacific countries account for 75 percent of pneumonia cases

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines is among eight countries in the Asia-Pacific region that account for 75 percent of all pneumonia cases worldwide, a report of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) showed.

Unicef said pneumonia is considered a “forgotten killer” that claims the lives of children more than any other illness.

“Globally, more than two million children under five die from pneumonia each year, accounting for almost 20 percent of child deaths. This number does not take into account the one million neonatal deaths that are believed to be due to sepsis or pneumonia,” Unicef said in its State of Asia-Pacific’s Children 2008 report.

More than 75 percent of childhood pneumonia occurs in 15 countries, eight of them in the Asia-Pacific. 

These are the Philippines, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Vietnam.

In most parts of the region, health facilities are not utilized, with sick children often treated at home by traditional healers or the “informal health sector.”

“Studies consistently confirm that many sick children do not reach health facilities and children from poorer families are even less likely to obtain care,” Unicef added.

Unicef claimed that if prevention and treatment interventions are implemented universally, more than one million lives could be saved.

“Many children never make it to the treatment stage, often because their caregivers are not aware of the symptoms of pneumonia,” Unicef said.

There are two telltale signs of pneumonia – rapid breathing and difficult breathing – and only one out of four caregivers are aware of this.

But for the agency, preventing a child from developing pneumonia is the key to reducing deaths.

Unicef added such prevention measures are breastfeeding; zinc intake; adequate nutrition; raising immunization including pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) and Haemophilus influenza type b (HIb); promoting hand-washing and reducing air pollution, including household smoke.