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Pneumonia Facts: Nigeria – Protect Prevent Treat
It’s time to stand up, speak out and join the fight against child pneumonia. Take action now to help save the lives of thousands of children in Nigeria.
Pneumonia is a deadly disease, especially for children in developing countries. It is a severe infection that affects lungs and makes it difficult for the lungs to absorb oxygen
Worldwide, nearly 1.6 million children under the age of 5 years die of pneumonia annually; 98% of these children who die of pneumonia live in developing countries.[1]
According to 2008 estimates, about 177,000 children under the age of five died of pneumonia in Nigeria [2]. This number is highest in Africa and second highest overall in the world. [2]
Pneumonia is caused by bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms. The most common causes of fatal pneumonia are Pneumococcus and Haemophilus Influenzae type B (HiB),[3] these bacteria are responsible for up to half of childhood pneumonia deaths.[4]
Pneumonia causes needless suffering and stress
There are an estimated 56 million episodes of lung infections among Nigerian children every year. [3] Although, not all episodes will lead to death, these infections nevertheless cause suffering and require treatment.
Pneumonia is an economic burden for families and communities, contributing to the cycle of poverty.
The good news! Pneumonia is a problem with solutions
We can protect children from pneumonia and many other diseases through exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 months of life.[5] In Nigeria, only 20% of babies are exclusively breastfed, this needs to be improved.[6] Other strategies to protect include: good nutrition,
hand‐washing, and reduced indoor air pollution.[5] We can prevent pneumonia with new and effective vaccines against HiB and pneumococcus.[5]
With help from GAVI, many countries in Africa now provide or will soon provide the HiB vaccine.
A pneumococcal conjugate vaccine has already been introduced in Rwanda, The Gambia, and South Africa. Thanks to a new and clever way to fund vaccines called the Advance Market Commitment (AMC), more low‐income countries will soon have access to this new generation vaccine.
The Nigerian government is striving to include HiB and pneumococcal vaccines into the national immunization program with GAVI’s support.[7]
Other preventive strategies include: vaccination against measles and pertussis (i.e. whooping cough), zinc supplementation, HIV prevention, and antibiotic prophylaxis for people with or exposed to HIV[8],[5],[9][10]
Children should have access to effective and affordable treatment
Treatment for most types of serious pneumonia is usually antibiotics, which typically cost less than 150 Naira per dose. Effective case management strategies can help to ensure that children receive the right treatment for pneumonia quickly.[11]
In Nigeria, only an estimated 1 of every 5 children with pneumonia receives appropriate antibiotics.[12] Health policies and services should be designed to provide children prompt and effective treatment for pneumonia.
You can ACT NOW to fight pneumonia! Raise awareness about pneumonia among leaders and health providers
Educate the public to recognize pneumonia and seek proper treatment
Focus resources on this neglected disease Ensure pneumonia is a policy priority Proclaim November 12nd as World Pneumonia Day 2010
Pneumonia Facts: Nigeria References
[1] World Health Organization. World health statistics 2006. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2006. http://www.who.int/whosis/en/. Accessed September 6, 2009. [2] Black RE, Cousens S, Johnson HL, Lawn JE, Rudan I et al for the CHERG reference group. Global, regional, and national causes of child mortality in 2008: a systematic analysis. The Lancet. Published online on May 12, 2010. [3] World Health Organization. Acute respiratory infections (Update September 2009). Initiative for Vaccine Research. http://www.who.int/vaccine_research/diseases/ari/en/index.html. Accessed June 11,2010. [4] Statement of fatal pneumonia etiology is based on settings where Hib and pneumococcal vaccines are not routinely used. O’Brien KL, Wolfoson LJ, Watt JP, Henkle E, et al. Burden of disease caused by Streptococcus Pneumoniae in children younger than 5 years: global estimates. Lancet. 2009;374:893‐902. [5] Niessen LW, Hove ten AC, Hilderink HH, Weber M, Mulholland K, Ezzati M. Comparative impact assessment of child pneumonia interventions. Bull World Health Organ. 2009;87(6):472‐8. [6] Lilian I Salami. Factors Influencing Breastfeeding Practices In Edo State, Nigeria. AJFAND. 2006, 6(2). http://www.ajfand.net/Issue‐XI‐files/PDFs/SALAMI_1680.pdf. Accessed on June 11, 2010. [7] World Health Organization. Country Statistics. http://www.who.int/countries/nga/areas/epi/en/index.html. Accessed on April 26, 2010. [8] Mahdi SA, Levine OS, Hajjeh R, Mansoor OD, Cherian T. Vaccines to prevent pneumonia and improve child survival. Bull World Health Organ. 2008;86:365‐72. [9] Zar HJ. Pneumonia in HIV‐infected and HIV‐uninfected children in developing countries: epidemiology, clinical features, and management. Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2004;10(3):176‐82. [10] World Health Organization. WHO expert consultation on cotrimoazole prophylaxis in HIV infection. Geneva: World Health Organization;2005. http://www.who.int/hiv/pub/meetingreports/ctxprophylaxismeeting.pdf. Accessed September 8, 2009. [11] Sazawal S, Black RE, Pneumonia Case Management Trials Group. Effect of pneumonia case management on mortality in neonates, infants, and pre‐school children: a meta‐analysis of community based trials. Lancet Infect Dis. 2003;3:547‐56. [12] Figure based on multiple Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), cited in: Wardlaw T, Johansson EW, Hodge M. Pneumonia: the forgotten killer of children. New York: UNICEF, The World Bank; 2006. [13] Nigeria: Containing Pneumonia. November 11 2009. http://allafrica.com/stories/200911120350.html Accessed on June 11 2010. For more information on World Pneumonia Day Coalition, visit the following website: http://worldpneumoniaday.org/about‐us/who‐we‐are/ To join the coalition, visit the following website: For individuals: http://worldpneumoniaday.org/join‐us/individuals/ For organizations: http://worldpneumoniaday.org/join‐us/organizations/ Send us an email to [email protected] for more information on the coalition in Africa.