In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that has protracted in Indonesia, pneumonia remains one of the diseases that may cause death among children.
With November 12 being observed as World Pneumonia Day and National Health Day in Indonesia, the commemoration should serve as a reminder for us that other diseases, such as pneumonia, too pose a threat to the health of children and also cause death.
The commemoration of National Health Day this year bears the main theme of “Sehat Negeriku, Tumbuh Indonesiaku,” which means a healthy country creates a growing country. It means that all elements in Indonesia should watch out for their health in order to ensure a better quality of living.
However, until now, pneumonia remains one of the main causes of death among children under five years of age. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) stated that pneumonia had annually claimed the lives of more than 800 thousand children under the age of five. Most of these deaths were reported in South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia.
Data from the Health Ministry in 2019 recorded 153,987 cases of pneumonia in infants aged less than one year and 314,455 cases of children in the age bracket of one to five years. The number of child deaths due to pneumonia reached 550. Indonesia is ranked 7th in the world as the country with the highest burden of pneumonia globally.
Pediatric consultant for respiratory ailments, Prof. Dr Cissy Kartasasmita, Sp. A(K), M,Sc, explained that pneumonia is a severe infectious inflammatory disease that attacks the lungs. The infection makes the lung tissue inflamed and disrupts oxygen delivery in the body that can cause death among children.
Early symptoms of pneumonia are difficult to tell apart from other respiratory illness, such as cough, fever, and shortness of breath. However, rapid breathing is a typical symptom of pneumonia.
The rapid breathing rate can be above 60 breaths per minute for infants under two months, above 50 breaths per minute in children aged two months to less than 12 months, and above 40 times per minute for children aged one to five years.
Source: Antara News