Vaccinating children for Pneumonia in India

Just when I was contemplating vaccinating my younger one for Pneumonia is when I read this and think it will be important for a lot of parents. The Times Of India reported

1. India tops in global pneumonia deaths of children under five years of age with 3.97 lakh reported in 2010, says a UNICEF study.
2. The third annual International Vaccine Access Center’s (IVAC) Pneumonia Progress Report 2012 says that almost 1,088 children under 5 years of age die everyday in India, an increase of 6.7 per cent from 2008 IVAC data which pegged the deaths at 3.71 lakh annually.
3. Recent estimates from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) show that pneumonia continues to be the number one killer of children around the world – causing 18 per cent of all child mortality, an estimated 1.3 million child deaths in 2011 alone.
4. Nearly all pneumonia deaths occur in developing countries, and three-quarter take place in just 15 countries and majority of pneumonia cases are preventable or treatable, it says.
5. The report says India and Nigeria, the two large countries with highest numbers of child deaths worldwide, remain low scorers with an average intervention coverage rate of 55 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively.
6. The report says that while India has made considerable stride in introducing hib vaccine in a few states, it still has much to do to strengthen its comprehensive approach to fighting pneumonia, including introduction of a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine as previously recommended by NTAGI in at least one state.
7. Pneumonia causes a great burden of morbidity in India, which results in economic and social pressures on families and the country as a whole. Therefore, pneumonia prevention is not only about saving child lives, but also preventing illness, hospitalisation and related economic costs, the report says.

So if you are in 2 minds please speak to your pediatrician on this and be sure of making the right decision

Information Source: Times of India

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