World Pneumonia Day

# 6712

 

Since 2009 I’ve taken notice of World Pneumonia Day in this blog, which falls on November 12th each year. Its founders, and allied public health agencies, hope to raise awareness of this often-preventable disease.

 

Leading the charge in this campaign is The Global Coalition Against Child Pneumonia which describes itself as “a global network of more than 125 NGOs, community‐based organizations, academic institutions, government agencies and foundations.”

 

Among those Included in this campaign are the World Health Organization and the CDC.

 

From the World Health Organization:

 

World Pneumonia Day

12 November 2012

World Pneumonia Day seeks to raise awareness of pneumonia as a public health issue and help prevent the millions of avoidable child deaths from pneumonia that occur each year. It is organized by the Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia (a network of international, government, non-governmental and community-based organizations, research and academic institutions, foundations, and individuals) to bring much-needed attention to pneumonia among donors, policy makers, health care professionals, and the general public.

Related links

• More information on World Pneumonia Day
• Fact sheet on pneumonia
• More information on pneumonia

 

 

And from the CDC:

Pneumonia Can Be Prevented - Vaccines Can Help

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that is usually caused by bacteria or viruses. Globally, pneumonia causes more deaths than any other infectious disease. It can often be prevented and can usually be treated.

 

Every 20 seconds, somewhere in the world, a child dies from pneumonia. Many of these deaths are preventable through vaccination and appropriate treatment.

(Continue . . .)

 

And for a last stop, this year’s pneumonia progress report from the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) at The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

 

 

2012 Pneumonia Progress Report

The Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Pneumonia (GAPP), issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in 2009, reported that child pneumonia deaths could be reduced by two-thirds if these interventions were scaled up to reach 90 percent coverage targets.

Key Takeaways from the 2012 Pneumonia Progress Report

• Bangladesh and Tanzania are no longer amongst the top 15 countries with the greatest number of child pneumonia deaths, and have been replaced by Mali and the aggregated Sudan and South Sudan (analyzed together at the time of data collection). Tanzania and Bangladesh remain high mortality countries, at 16th and 17^th, respectively, worldwide.
• Combined coverage scores for the GAPP interventions range from a low of 39% in Ethiopia to a high of 79% in aggregated Sudan and South Sudan, among the 15 countries profiled.
• None of the countries profiled have reached the 90% GAPP target for each intervention.
• While significant progress in the area of vaccination has been made, more work is needed. Currently, only 7 of the 15 countries have vaccine coverage levels at or above 80 percent.
• Coverage of breastfeeding and access to antibiotics are also low in most countries.

More targeted and effective work is needed to scale up life-saving interventions if we are to successfully combat the world’s leading killer of young children.

Get the Full Report

Download the complete 2012 Pneumonia Progress Report (PDF).

World Pneumonia Day 2011

 

# 5956

 

 

Tomorrow (Saturday, November 12th) is the 3rd annual World Pneumonia Day, where its founders, and allied public health agencies, hope to raise awareness of this often-preventable disease.

 

From the CDC’s MMWR of Nov. 4th:

 

World Pneumonia Day --- November 12, 2011

Weekly

November 4, 2011 / 60(43);1477

Pneumonia kills more children than any other illness; among approximately 9 million children aged <5 years who die each year worldwide, 1.6 million die from pneumonia (1). At the 2010 World Health Assembly, a resolution on the prevention and control of childhood pneumonia was passed (2). The resolution stated that leaders in each country should implement comprehensive plans to reduce pneumonia deaths. This effort will support United Nations Millennium Development Goal 4, which states that childhood mortality should be reduced by two thirds from 1990 to 2015 (3).

 

Illness and deaths from pneumonia can be reduced with the use of Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), influenza, and measles vaccines; antimicrobial treatments; and supportive health care, among other strategies.

 

To raise awareness of the effects of pneumonia globally, the third annual World Pneumonia Day, November 12, 2011, is being promoted by a coalition of approximately 120 major health, humanitarian relief, advocacy, faith-based, government, and other organizations; CDC and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) are providing technical assistance. Events are scheduled around the world. More information is available at http://worldpneumoniaday.org.

 

 

Leading the charge in this campaign is The Global Coalition Against Child Pneumonia which describes itself as “a global network of more than 125 NGOs, community‐based organizations, academic institutions, government agencies and foundations.”

 

You’ll find numerous resources, including a list of #WPD2011 events, and the 2011 Progress report on the World Pneumonia Day website.  There is even an animated version of the progress report (see below).

 

 

The complete 2011 Progress Report (PDF) is available here.

World Pneumonia Day: November 12th

 

 

 

# 5046

 

 

 

Tomorrow, November 12th, is the 2nd annual World Pneumonia day where everyone is reminded that while highly treatable, childhood pneumonia claims more than 3,000 children’s lives each day around the world.

 

The organizers of World Pneumonia Day have five key messages that they wish to get out.

 

Key Messages

1. Pneumonia kills more children under the age of five than any other disease, claiming a young life every 20 seconds.
2. For every child that dies from pneumonia in the industrialized world, 2000 more die in developing countries.
3. Pneumonia is one of the most solvable problems in global health. We have the safe, effective and affordable tools necessary to help prevent children from contracting pneumonia, and to treat those suffering with this illness.
4. The fight against pneumonia can be won. Estimates indicate that more than one million children’s lives can be saved annually with widespread use of vaccines and improved access to antibiotics.
5. Together we can ensure that pneumonia becomes a priority on the global health agenda, and that all parties work together to invest in its prevention. Join the Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia to take part in our global advocacy efforts.

Last week’s MMWR from the CDC had the following announcement regarding this yearly awareness campaign.

 

Announcement: World Pneumonia Day --- November 12, 2010

Weekly

November 5, 2010 / 59(43);1413

Pneumonia kills more children than any other illness; among approximately 9 million children aged <5 years who die each year worldwide, 1.6 million die from pneumonia (1). Through the Global Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Pneumonia, the World Health Organization and international partners recommend that the global health burden of pneumonia be reduced by 1) using vaccines against organisms that cause pneumonia, 2) providing appropriate care and treatment for persons who contract pneumonia, and 3) promoting preventive measures such as exclusive breastfeeding of infants during their first 6 months of life (2).

 

Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) account for approximately 60% of pneumonia deaths worldwide of children aged 1 month--5 years in countries that do not use pneumococcal or Hib conjugate vaccines (3,4). In the United States, pneumococcal and Hib conjugate vaccines are recommended for infants and children aged <2 years as part of the routine infant immunization schedule and have reduced morbidity and mortality from pneumococcal disease by 76% and from Hib disease by >99% among children aged <5 years (5,6). In 2010, a 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was licensed and recommended in the United States. Collaborative international efforts are expanding use of these vaccines in developing countries (7).

 

Respiratory viruses, such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza, and measles, also are major causes of pneumonia globally. In 2005, an estimated 33.8 million episodes of RSV-associated acute lower respiratory infection occurred in children aged <5 years worldwide (8). Recent studies suggest that 6%--10% of childhood pneumonia is associated with influenza (9,10). Use of influenza and measles vaccines, antiviral medications, and supportive health care can reduce the burden of pneumonia caused by these viruses.

 

To raise awareness of the effects of pneumonia globally, the second annual World Pneumonia Day, November 12, 2010, is being promoted by a coalition of more than 100 major health, humanitarian relief, advocacy, faith-based, government, and other organizations; CDC and UNICEF are providing technical assistance. Events are scheduled at CDC and elsewhere in the United States and other countries. Additional information is available at http://worldpneumoniaday.org.

 

 

 

For more on this campaign, and how you can participate, you can visit the World Pneumonia Day website.