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World Pneumonia Day: Theme, Significance, History, Purpose, and Global Impact

PWOnlyIAS November 11, 2023 05:52 1526 0

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Context: World Pneumonia Day is observed every year on 12 November.

World Pneumonia Day: Theme, Significance, History, Purpose, and Global Impact

World Pneumonia Day: Championing the Fight to Stop Pneumonia and Raise Global Awareness

  • Aim: The main objective of celebrating the day is to spread awareness and educate people to combat Pneumonia disease.
  • Theme for 2023: “Championing the fight to stop pneumonia” will be the subject of World Pneumonia Day 2023. 
  • Origin: Global Pneumonia Day was first observed in 2009 under the “stop pneumonia” initiative, with an aim of fighting the child mortality due to the respiratory infection.
  • Actions: On the occasion of World Pneumonia Day, Coalition of UN agencies like WHO, UNICEF, international NGOs come together for awareness campaigns, healthcare support and with better healthcare policies in vulnerable countries.
  • World Pneumonia Day: Fostering Global Awareness, Action, and Public Engagement for Pneumonia Prevention
    • Spread Awareness: Pneumonia is the world’s biggest infectious killer of adults and children, responsible for the death of a large number of children below five around the world.
    • Encourage Actions: The day seeks to create ample opportunity in the low and middle income countries to fight the toll due to pneumonia.
    • Public Participation: The day encourages public support groups to come forward and contribute towards prevention and treatment of the disease.
    • Surrounding Cleanliness: The day also seeks to create awareness about the problems of climate and air pollution, which have a role in pneumonia.

World Pneumonia Day

Pneumonia Infection: Causes, Symptoms, Prevention, and Types

  • About: Pneumonia is an inflammatory respiratory disorder that impairs the air sacs of the lungs, called “Alveoli”. 
    • The infection results in the accumulation of fluid or pus in the air sacs, making breathing difficult.
  • Cause: The main cause of pneumonia is infectious agents such as Bacteria, Viruses and Fungi.
  • Spread: The infection can spread through coughing and sneezing, and through fluids such as blood during childbirth.
  • Symptoms of the Infection: Most common symptoms of the disease include high fever and chills, physical weakness, cough with phlegm, shortness of breath and rapid breathing, and a racing pulse.
  • Vulnerable People: Since it is a contagious disease, it could be fatal for the person with weaker immunity, especially in the children’s and elderly people.
  • Prevention: Pneumonia caused by bacteria can be prevented by a vaccine of 3 doses of the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV), under Universal Immunization Program (UIP).
  • Treatment: Treatment includes using antiviral and antibiotic medicines to treat the pathogen. Sometimes, oxygen therapy is needed to keep lungs from collapsing.
  • Types of Pneumonia:
    • Streptococcus pneumonia: It is responsible for bacterial pneumonia in children mostly.
    • Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib): This variety is the second most common cause of bacterial pneumonia.
    • Syncytial virus: The Viral infection of pneumonia is respiratory syncytial virus.
    • Fungi: Fungi like like Cryptococcus, Pneumocystis jirovecii and Coccidioides, are uncommon causes of pneumonia. 

Pneumonia’s Grim Toll: Rising Infections and Alarming Death Rates Worldwide

  • Growth: Even though it is a preventable disease, the death toll due to Pneumonia and other respiratory infectious diseases has risen drastically.
  • Fatality Burden: In 2019 alone, 25 lakhs people lost their lives, and around seven lakhs children below five years died due to this disease across the world. 

World Pneumonia Day

  • Infant Deaths: On an average, 14 Lakh children under the age of five years die every year due to Pneumonia, accounting for 18% of all deaths of children under five years.
  • Adult Deaths: It is estimated that about 16 Lakh deaths due to pneumonia among adults aged over 50 are attributable to air pollution and smoking.
  • Burden: Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria and Pakistan account for more than half of all deaths due to pneumonia among children under age of 5.

Pneumonia in India: A Struggle for Reduction and Prevention

  • Burden: According to data, India accounts for 23% of global pneumonia burden with a case fatality rate ranging from 14 to 30%.
  • Measures: 
    • SAANS (Social Awareness and Actions to Neutralize Pneumonia Successfully): It is an initiative for reducing deaths due to Childhood Pneumonia for villages as well as urban areas.
      • The main objective is to trigger behavior change for protection and prevention from Childhood Pneumonia and to improve care seeking. 
    • Integrated Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhoea (IAPPD): It aims for a collaborative effort towards prevention of diarrhoea and Pneumonia related under-five deaths.

Conclusion:

Pneumonia is indeed a deadly infection that can even lead to loss of lives. It is necessary to create awareness about the disease to reduce its burden.

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World Pneumonia Day FAQs

World Pneumonia Day is an event to spread awareness and educate people to combat Pneumonia disease.

World Pneumonia Day is observed every year on 12 November.

“Championing the fight to stop pneumonia” will be the subject of World Pneumonia Day 2023.

Pneumonia is the world’s biggest infectious killer of adults and children, responsible for the death of a large number of children below five around the world. World Pneumonia Day seeks to create awareness of the deadly infection.

Pneumonia is an inflammatory respiratory disorder that impairs the air sacs of the lungs, called "Alveoli". The infection results in the accumulation of fluid or pus in the air sacs, making breathing difficult.

SAANS (Social Awareness and Actions to Neutralize Pneumonia Successfully): It is an initiative for reducing deaths due to Childhood Pneumonia for villages as well as urban areas. The main objective is to trigger behavior change for protection and prevention from Childhood Pneumonia and to improve care seeking. Integrated Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhoea (IAPPD): It aims for a collaborative effort towards prevention of diarrhoea and Pneumonia related under-five deaths.

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