Childhood pneumonia, which claims lives of 50,000 under-five children in the country every year, can be fought through exclusive breast-feeding, vaccination and proper timely treatment.
Ahead of the World Pneumonia Day today, paediatricians said this at a media dialogue organised by Save the Children, UK at the National Press Club in the city yesterday.
The experts said only 30 percent of under-five children with suspected pneumonia are given appropriate healthcare, resulting in needless deaths among children.
They said lack of awareness among the people and proneness of malnourished children to pneumonia are other factors adding to this death rate.
With the slogan ‘Fight Pneumonia. Save Child.’, the World Pneumonia Day is being observed for the second time in the country today.
Bangladesh Paediatric Association President Prof MA Hanif said, “The government integrated Haemophilus Influenza Vaccine (HIV) at its immunisation programme in January last year.”
The vaccine can help reduce one-third of the deaths caused by pneumonia through preventing the disease more effectively, he added.
Dr ABM Jahangir Alam, Primary Health Care director, said that the pneumococcal vaccine might be initiated from next year.
As for newborns, the doctors suggested dry wrapping them within three to five minutes of birth, providing them with colostrums within 30 minutes, and bathing them only after three days to protect them from pneumonia.
Member of the Parliament and noted child specialist Prof MS Akbar, also the chief guest, said, “Health practitioners should avoid the unnecessary use of antibiotics to treat pneumonia.”
The country should instead go for the vaccine production immediately, he added.
He also said the subject of paediatrics must be incorporated as a major in the medical curriculum to ensure right medical practice for children.
Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons President Prof Nazmun Nahar, National Professor Dr M R Khan and Prof Emeritus Nurul Islam were also present at the dialogue on the occasion.
