Know more about pneumonia

Back in the late ’60s, this song played on the airwaves every hour, striking a chord in the hearts of the lovelorn. I especially like replaying in my mind the second stanza of this enduring and top-selling Burt Bacharach-Hal David song I’ll Never Fall in Love Again. Listen: “What do you get when you kiss a guy/You get enough germs to catch pneumonia/After you do, he’ll never phone you/I’ll never fall in love again …”

Did you know that Burt Bacharach  pianist, composer, music producer  had just recovered from a bout with pneumonia when he composed that song? That explains that line about pneumonia.

You’re breathless. You’re feverish. You feel faint. Your heart beats faster than usual. You’re shaking/shivering. And you know darn well you’re not in love. Could it be pneumonia? Could be. It could start with an upper respiratory infection such as a flu or a cold.

But why are we talking about pneumonia? Why not? The whole world’s probably talking about it. After all, it’s World Pneumonia Day on Friday, Nov. 12.

The facts and figures are enough to make you quiver. Did you know that every 20 seconds, a child dies of pneumonia all over the world? That’s a total of 4,300 children dying every day and a whopping 1.5 million children under five years old dying every year of a preventable, treatable disease! Fact is, pneumonia and diarrhea are the two leading causes of deaths in children under five worldwide.

This and more (but more on that a wee bit later) we found out at a media roundtable recently hosted by Pfizer Philippines, Inc. to share insights on the life-threatening risks of pneumonia as well as the company’s efforts to fight the disease through its anti-pneumonia campaign culminating on World Pneumonia Day this Friday, Nov. 12.

If there’s a Mother’s Day and a Father’s Day, why not a World Pneumonia Day to inform parents of this disease that threatens their precious little ones? Thus, the campaign zeroes in on this theme: Pneumonia 101  Another parent informed is another life saved!

All over the world, World Pneumonia Day aims to raise awareness of pneumonia as a leading public health issue and help prevent the millions of avoidable deaths of children from pneumonia that occur year after year.

At the forefront of the celebration is the Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia, a network of international, government, non-governmental and community-based organizations, research and academic institutions, foundations, and individuals created in 2009 to bring much-needed attention to pneumonia among donors, policy makers, health care professionals, and the general public.

In the Philippines, leading and organizing the activities for the celebration is the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination (PFV). Partnering with PFV are Pfizer, MSD, SP, Novartis, GSK, and Unilab.

Pfizer’s anti-pneumonia vaccination drive in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija

Huddled together in a function room at Fely J’s in Greenbelt 5, Makati amid good food, we got a good dose of information about pneumonia and what the celebration is all about. Let us share some of the take-home messages for World Pneumonia Day.

Who’s at risk

• The Philippines is among the top 10 countries (it’s No. 10) with the highest number of pneumococcal cases with a mortality rate of 50 deaths per 100,000 and an incidence of 2,237 cases per 100,000 (from www.preventpneumo.org, July 17, 2010).

• In developing countries, children under five years old and especially under two years old are at risk, especially in the poorest communities.

• Poorly nourished children who can also have weakened immune systems are at higher risk of contracting pneumonia.

• Respecting no age groups, pneumonia also affects adults, especially those aged 65 years old and up whose immune systems are compromised.

• The very old as well as the very young are at risk. We learned about a seven-month-old baby who had measles and then contracted pneumonia and died three days later.

• Tobacco smoke and other indoor air pollution can increase one’s susceptibility to pneumonia.

• Children and adults who suffer from other illnesses, such as HIV/AIDS, are at greater risk of dying of pneumonia than those who do not have HIV.

What causes pneumonia

• Many organisms can cause pneumonia.

• Globally, bacteria such as Hib and pneumococcus are estimated to cause more than 50 percent of pneumonia deaths in children under five years old.

• Viruses and fungi can also cause pneumonia infections.

Protection vs Pneumonia

• Exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life is a vital and easy (and probably the cheapest ) way to safeguard children against pneumonia and many other diseases.

• Other measures, like good nutrition for older children, hand washing (surely, a lot of diseases can be prevented simply by washing our hands), reducing indoor pollution from cook stoves and tobacco smoke, can also help protect children from pneumonia.

Preventing pneumonia before it strikes

• Vaccines are a safe and effective tool for preventing pneumonia before it strikes.

• Vaccines against two of the main causes of life-threatening pneumonia  pneumococcus and Hib  are used throughout the developed world.

• However, millions of children in developing countries still lack access to these life-saving vaccines.

• Measles and pertussis (whooping cough) vaccines can prevent infections that can lead to pneumonia as a complication.

• Inexpensive antibiotics can effectively treat pneumonia at the community level.

Preparations for World Pneumonia Day are at fever pitch, you can get infected by the enthusiasm of those behind the celebration. All hands on deck to underscore the campaign’s key message: Hands on prevention, hands off pneumonia. Yes, pneumonia can’t touch me because I’m protected.

Partnering with SM San Lazaro, Pfizer is holding a set of activities aimed at raising the awareness of parents on the importance of being vigilant against pneumococcal disease. The program includes educational lectures for parents, storytelling, and art workshops for children. Capping the whole-day event is a free mass vaccination participated in by school children from select barangays in Metro Manila (the poorest of the poor children).

Pfizer Philippines Foundation, Inc. has also partnered with various government local units nationwide to offer free immunization to children in select public elementary schools. Already covered are Bacolod, Malabon, and Nueva Ecija. Pfizer’s vaccination caravan is going to Palawan next and will be visiting more underserved municipalities and cities till the end of the year.

“We go around every two weeks and have vaccinated over 5,000 kids all over the country,” says Patricia Pascual, Pfizer public affairs director. “Our employees volunteer their time to help children. We also partner with non-profit organizations, like World Vision, because we don’t know everything.”

But now, you know some things about pneumonia, don’t ya?

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We’d love to hear from you. E-mail us at ching_alano@yahoo.com.