Pneumonia Crisis: Over 200 Children Dead in Pakistan's Punjab Province Due to Extreme Cold
In Punjab, Pakistan, over 200 children have died from pneumonia in the last three weeks due to cold weather conditions. The government is taking steps to address the crisis.
Over 200 children in Pakistan's Punjab province have lost their lives to pneumonia in the last three weeks due to severe cold weather conditions, the health ministry reported. The caretaker government in Punjab has attributed a significant number of these deaths to lack of vaccination against pneumonia, malnutrition, and weakened immunity due to a lack of breastfeeding. In response to the crisis, the government has imposed a ban on morning assemblies in schools across the province until January 31 to prevent the spread of pneumonia.
Pakistan 🇵🇰Pneumonia Strikes Hard in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Thousands of Children Suffer - Health Department, the province witnessed a staggering 47% increase in pneumonia cases during the last three months of 2023, affecting more than 11,000 children. #ill
— Martha Young- JD, MBA, N95-clean the air: (@mryoung151) January 25, 2024
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Since the beginning of the year, Punjab has recorded a total of 10,520 pneumonia cases, with all 220 reported deaths occurring in children under the age of five. The provincial capital, Lahore, witnessed 47 of these fatalities, according to the health ministry. Mukhtar Ahmed, director of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation in Punjab, emphasized the importance of vaccinating infants against pneumonia, stating that babies in Pakistan typically receive their first anti-pneumonia vaccine, PCV, around six weeks after birth. To prevent the spread of pneumonia, the government has advised children to wear face masks, practice hand hygiene, and use warm clothing.
The government has also urged senior doctors to advise preventive measures and raised concern over the rising pneumonia cases among children in the province. Drawing parallels with COVID-19, the government has emphasized the need for urgent action to mitigate the impact of viral pneumonia on children. Last year, Punjab province recorded 990 child deaths due to pneumonia, prompting the government to call for an awareness campaign and preventive measures to address the current crisis and reduce the vulnerability of children to pneumonia in the province.
