'No Hope Lost': the parents' fight vs pneumonia, diarrhea

MANILA, Philippines- Parents suffers whenever they see their child sick, and could only wish to take away the illness in a snap of a finger.

But imagine how a parent would feel if they lost their child over an illness which they could actually cure.

Pneumonia and diarrhea are two main causes of death among kids here in the country, and yet these two diseases could be cured if immediate attention is given.

That is why GlaxoSmithKline or GSK launched the “No Hope Lost” campaign, which seeks to educate parents on how to prevent those diseases and save the lives of their kids.

The campaign's ambassadress, Barbie Almalbis-Honasan, had experienced the fear of losing her firstborn child Stina, after she had pneumonia.

“She was like six months and the doctor said she had pneumonia,” she recalled during a interview Tuesday afternoon, March 4. “Natakot talaga kami kasi that's really the worst thing. Parang as parents, when your kids get sick and you don't know what to do, right? So now I know we can do something about it.”

Protect, Treat, Prevent

Present during the launch is Philippine Foundation for Vaccination Director Dr. Sally Gatchalian, and she explained how parents could prevent such diseases.

“There are three things you should remember: protect, treat, and prevent,” she enumerated.

Under protect, parents start “protecting” their kids from such diseases by feeding them right and loading them with the right vitamins.

“Mothers should breastfeed their children up to six months,” Gatchalian stated. “And they should also make sure that their kids have the right amount of vitamin A.”

Vitamin A boost the child's immunity, while breastfeeding gives children the adequate amount of vitamins that their body will need for healthy development.

Visiting your pediatrician regularly and immediately have your child checked if symptoms of such diseases occur is what falls under “treat.” “Parents should not self medicate,” Dr. Gatchalian reminded.

While to “prevent” these diseases, parents should make sure that their child's environment, food, and stuff is clean, to avoid viruses and bacterias to enter their body.

But also, the fastest way to prevent pneumonia and diarrhea is having your kids vaccinated as early as six weeks old, which is what the “No Hope Lost” is promoting.

“With the help of our dear pediatricians, and the Department of Health, we are committed to the reduction of pneumonia and diarrhea cases nationwide by supplying high quality vaccines,” Philip Cruz, GSK Medical Director said.

“These diseases account for an alarming almost 50 mortalities per day in the Philippines. GSK is here to support the Filipino medical community and the government’s drive to make health services accessible to everyone.”

Through this campaign, GSK hopes to contribute to lessen the children's mortality from pneumonia and diarrhea.