Aga Khan Health Service Pakistan (AKHSP) launched a mass awareness campaign against pneumonia on Saturday. The three-day exercise that coincides with "World Pneumonia Day," celebrated every year on November 12 holds particular relevance for children below five years of age.
More than 1.5 million children die world-wide due to pneumonia with a vast majority belonging to developing world that also includes Pakistan. These children can be saved, only if we provide them a pollution-free environment both indoor and outdoor, vaccine against pneumonia, affordable antibiotics, a healthy and nutritious diet and access to clean drinking water.
"We also need to promote exclusive breast-feeding for at least six months and ensure frequent and proper hand washing," said Sikander Ali, AKHSP Co-ordinator for the Campaign. Giving details of three-day activity, he said the primary objective of the campaign was to decrease burden of deaths due to pneumonia with active involvement of Community Support Organisations (CSOs).
Individual volunteers are also being encouraged to participate in the said campaign and educate as well as motivate parents to ensure protection of their kids against the easily preventable ailment. There would also be health education sessions for community workers and individual volunteers, who will be sensitised about the implications of pneumonia for the nation as a whole, its prevention and protection.
They would be trained as active and well informed motivator so as to effectively influence parents, care takers and healthcare providers to emerge as a strong force against pneumonia, said the AKSP co-ordinator. Sikander Ali also appealed to the conscientious citizens of the country to make use of the tools that are easily available with them and spread the message "Think what are you going to do to save precious life of children," as Pneumonia SMS.
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