Countries gather for the Global Forum on Childhood Pneumonia

HNN Team

WHY:  Pneumonia claimed the lives of 800,000 children under the age of five in 2018, or one child every 39 seconds. That was more than any other disease. Yet pneumonia remains largely forgotten. WHAT: On January 29-31, nine leading health and children’s organisations – ISGlobal, Save the Children, UNICEF, Every Breath Counts, the Bill & … Continued

Pneumonia: how the world’s biggest killer of children became a neglected disease

Telegraph UK Ethiopia, Nepal HNN Team

When two-year old Sienna Wilson suddenly developed a fever in the middle of the night the first thing her parents, Kate and David, suspected was malaria. When the doctor arrived in the morning he agreed. He began treating her accordingly. Hours later, unconscious and in a critical condition, Sienna was airlifted to a private hospital … Continued

India grants Pfizer patent on pneumonia vaccine in blow to aid group

Reuters India HNN Team

MUMBAI (Reuters) – India has granted Pfizer Inc a patent for its powerful pneumonia vaccine Prevenar 13, in a blow to some health groups that said this would put the treatment out of reach of thousands in poorer nations. The decision by India’s patent office bars other companies from making cheaper copies of the vaccine … Continued

India: Union Govt concerned over 80 per cent mortality among neonatal population caused by pneumonia & diarrhoea

India HNN Team

These diseases continue to be leading causes of deaths in the country attributing to about 80 per cent of the overall under-5 mortality, says Dr. Rakesh Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Preterm birth and pneumonia kill most children under five years in India

India HNN Team

According to Li Liu from the Institute of International Programs and the first author of the paper, there will be 4.4 million deaths in children younger than five years even in 2030 if the present trend continues.

Preterm Birth, Pneumonia Leading Causes of Death for Children Under 5

Nigeria, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Pakistan HNN Team

“Millions of children are still dying of preventable causes at a time when we have the means to deliver cost-effective interventions,” the study authors wrote.

Cutting child deaths from pneumonia in Liberia

Liberia HNN Team

Liberia has begun a campaign to vaccinate infants under the age of 12 months for pneumonia. Thousands of Liberian children died of the disease last year.