World Pneumonia Day 2021: History and Significance of Deadly Respiratory Disease

Pneumonia is the deadliest disease for children below five years, killing about 8,00,000 children every year. In many parts of the world, the United Nations Children’s Fund states, a child dies from pneumonia every 39 seconds. Termed as “a disease of inequality,” the disease is concentrated in poor populations across the world. The reason for this is that the disease is entirely preventable and there are vaccines available as well.

However, the disease is neglected in terms of funding to improve survival rates, as it receives only three per cent of the funding in the global infectious disease research, according to UNICEF. To battle this neglect and build awareness around the disease while creating a forum for the global health community to reflect on what is done and what is yet to be done, World Pneumonia Day is observed annually on November 12.

World Pneumonia Day was established and first observed in 2009 by the Stop Pneumonia Initiative. The annual observance seeks to raise global awareness about the disease and advocate for global action.

Stop Pneumonia Initiative is run by the Every Breath Counts Coalition, a public-private partnership to help governments across the world reduce deaths caused by pneumonia. The partnership includes more than 140 community-based organisations, government agencies, academic institutions and foundations.

In 2013, WHO launched a campaign to end deaths by pneumonia and diarrhoea, another leading killer disease for children, by 2025 called The integrated Global Action Plan for Pneumonia and Diarrhoea (GAPPD).

An acute respiratory infection, pneumonia affects the lungs. Our lungs have small sacs called alveoli which are meant to be filled by air when we breathe. In alveoli, blood exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide with the filled air.

In a person suffering from pneumonia, these sacs are filled with liquid and pus inducing symptoms like cough, difficulty in breathing, rapid breathing, fever. Viruses as well as bacteria and fungi can cause pneumonia. Older people suffering from severe Covid infections can develop pneumonia.

According to UNICEF, proper immunisation can help prevent pneumonia and even low-cost antibiotics can treat the disease if diagnosed properly.

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