SCI, Ministry of Health Call for Adequate Nutrition against Pneumonia in Children

Rebecca Ejifoma 

Participants at the roundtable meetung held in Lagos

With a high record of children under five dying from pneumonia, medical experts have said that urgent intervention is needed to save Nigeria from ranking as the highest burden of deaths from the disease by 2030 as they call for more immunisation and adequate nutrition for children. 

This was said at the roundtable meeting SCI held in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Health. The aim was to address pneumonia, a disease that kills more children globally than Malaria, Diarrhoea and Measles combined and responsible for the death of over 16 children under five every hour. 

“Malnutrition and poorly immunised or unimmunised children are mostly at risk of pneumonia. Nigeria, India, Pakistan and Congo will bear the highest burden of deaths among under-five years old if no action is taken,” says Public Health Specialist, Save the Children International (SCI), Dr. Olutosin Adeoye. 

Following recent studies indicating that Pneumonia could kill nearly 11 million children by 2030 (Johns Hopkins and Save the Children, 2018), the expert said most of these preventable deaths would take place in Nigeria if urgent action was not taken. 

According to the Adeoye, women are key factors of change in this fight against pneumonia. “If women will do exclusive breastfeeding for their babies for the first six months,  it will boost their children’s immunity and protect them from pneumonia among other diseases”. 

Emphasising more on the importance of nutrition, the Public Health Specialist noted that if children had good nutrition about 2.5 children under-five would be saved. 

Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Advisor, Save the Children, Dr. Opeyemi Odedere, described pneumonia as a form of acute respiratory infection that affects the small sacs in the lungs called alveoli, which could result into pus or fluid filled alveoli. This could lead to painful breathing and ultimately limits oxygen intake. 

He added: “When the lungs are filled with mucus like fluid, they provoke coughing, shortness of breath and fever, among other symptoms. As the lungs fill with fluid their ability to take in oxygen decreases.” 

Odedere, however, listed causes of pneumonia as bacterial and virus. While bacterial included: streptococcus pneumonia and haemophilus influenza, viruses are: respiratory syncytial virus, among others. 

“Sometimes coughing and sneezing are the major signs and symptoms of pneumonia, as well as fast breathing, chest in-drawing. This means that during inhalation, the chest draws inward instead of expand. In severe cases, there could be convulsion, unconsciousness and hypothermia. 

“Pneumonia can be treated with dispersible amoxicillin antibiotics. However, for people with weakened immune system, pneumonia can be severe and will need to be treated in hospital, where antibiotics and fluids can be given through a drip, and oxygen can be used if necessary. 

He explained that pneumonia kills more children less than five years of age than any other illness globally. Mortality due to childhood pneumonia is strongly linked to malnutrition, poverty and inadequate access to healthcare. 

Deputy Director, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Monsurat Adeleke, revealed that about 920,000 children die daily due to pneumonia, adding that the world has decided to eliminate pneumonia, as it accounts for one of the greatest child killer diseases globally. 

“We have decided to look at pneumonia in integrated manner, where we flag off community campaign to ensure that all the children are healthy. Save the Children and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) decided to create awareness about pneumonia because they do not want any child to die of it.