ISLAMABAD: Pneumonia claims an innocent child’s life every 30 seconds, making it the number one cause of childhood mortality in the world.

In Pakistan too, it is responsible for the death of 92,000 children of under-five annually and contributes 18 per cent to the total child deaths.

This was stated by Dr. Tabish Hazir, professor and head of pediatrics at children hospital in Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences on Wednesday while addressing a press conference here at a local hotel to mark World Pneumonia Day.

Dr Tabish said pneumonia control and other child health interventions must be accelerated to meet Millennium Development Goal 2015: Reduce under-five mortality by two-thirds.

“A lot can be done by understanding the fact that vaccines are a child’s right and in order to safeguard his future, he should be protected against Pneumonia and other vaccine preventable diseases,” he said.

Pneumonia is a form of acute respiratory infection that affects the lungs.

When an individual has pneumonia, the alveoli (small sacs in lungs which fill with air when a healthy person breathes) are filled with pus and fluid, which makes breathing painful and limits oxygen intake.

Infants and children younger than age two years are at higher risk of contracting pneumonia as their immune systems are still developing. Symptoms of pneumonia in children include rapid or difficult breathing, cough, fever, chills, headaches and loss of appetite.

Dr Tabish said that the Pakistani government had introduced the pneumococcal vaccine last year in its Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) program making Pakistan the first South Asian nation to provide free vaccination against pneumonia to infants.

The aim of preventing pneumonia should be taken up nationally by all citizens through ensuring timely visits to the EPI centres and vaccinating children against pneumonia and other deadly diseases for free, he added.

Immunization is a proven tool for controlling and eliminating life-threatening infectious diseases. It is one of the most cost-effective health investments.

Vaccines can protect children by preparing anti-bodies to fight many potentially deadly diseases.

They are responsible for the control of many infectious diseases that were once common around the world, including smallpox, polio, measles, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), rubella (German measles), mumps and tetanus.

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (pneumonia vaccine) was introduced in Pakistans EPI programme in October 2012.

“Price of each injection is Rs6,000 but government is providing three injection to every new born baby at the age of four, ten and fourteen weeks, free of cost. It is unfortunate that despite the government’s efforts, an unavoidable 46 per cent of the child population in Pakistan still remains non-immunized leading to child mortality,” Dr Tabish said.