World Pneumonia Day 2024: A Global Call to Action

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Highlights:

• Pneumonia is the single largest infectious killer worldwide, especially affecting young children and older adults
• Environmental pollution, smoking, and limited access to vaccines contribute significantly to pneumonia-related deaths
• Global campaigns and national commitments aim to reduce the burden of pneumonia through prevention, education, and improved healthcare access

World Pneumonia is celebrated every year on 12th November and it is aimed at helping to combat pneumonia, which is a severe killer among adults and children. This day is aimed at creating awareness, encouraging prevention strategies, and fundraising for this disease that is most likely to affect vulnerable groups. This day helps raise awareness about pneumonia and related respiratory infections as climatic change and environmental issues continue to cause more harm to the respiratory health of individuals (1^✔).

The Increasing Weight of Pneumonia

Pneumonia has been the most prevalent infectious cause of death globally, with a figure of 2.2 million deaths in 2021; of these, 500, 000 of them were children. COVID-19, as a respiratory disease associated with pneumonia, increased an additional 10 million deaths in the same time period, making respiratory diseases the number one killer disease in the world, let alone heart disease.

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Pneumonia claims more lives than any other infectious disease. #worldpneumoniaday #fightpneumonia’

Air quality has remained a challenge because climate change still continues, causing respiratory illnesses, and the world needs to be united to help control respiratory diseases. This puts emphasis on raising alert, as we face the probability of more severe respiratory epidemics in the future.

High-Risk Groups: The Young and the Elderly

Two major groups of people are largely at risk of developing pneumonia: young children and the elderly population. Malnutrition, inadequate or no vaccination, and elevated indoor air pollution act as the main risk factors in children. Likewise, the elderly who were affected by outdoor pollution which is predominantly from the burning of fossil fuels, are vulnerable.

In total, it is predicted that around 1.5 million adults over the age of 50 die from pneumonia every year, of which 40% are associated with air pollution and smoking, and thus such population groups need both primary prevention and changed lifestyles.

Country Commitments over Pneumonia

Global observance of World Pneumonia Day has seen many nations step up efforts in combating the diseases locally. For instance:

• Bangladesh ensured that they were going to fight pneumonia in the country in a central manner.
• Kenya has estimated and actualized a framework for decreasing the severity of childhood pneumonia and other illnesses.
• Nigeria stated a plan to guarantee that oxygen therapy is accessible in every primary health care center it presently operates.

These national efforts are a replication of localized approaches by countries needed to address the issue of pneumonia given the disparities in need and healthcare systems around the world.

World Pneumonia Day is an important means to emphasize the fact that pneumonia is a global killer and requires international attention. Pneumonia is a preventable as well as a treatable disease and yet the disease kills so many people it should not. But, if no radical measures are undertaken, the mentality suggests that the youngest and the oldest members of the society will continue to remain vulnerable. This day therefore is important to celebrate the achievement made so far and to remind the world that pneumonia is preventable and should no longer cause the largest number of infectious deaths.

Reference:

1. World Pneumonia Day - (https:stoppneumonia.org/latest/world-pneumonia-day/)

Source: Medindia

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