Kayode is a community health advocate. Growing up he lost his only sister to pneumonia. As a teenager, he didn’t understand what pneumonia was even when his parents tried their best to explain the disease to him. As a university student, he has read a lot about pneumonia- causes, effects of the disease on one’s health and possible outcomes of the infection. Kayode joined a group of community health advocates to visit remote communities in South Western part of Nigeria. He decided that no one under his sphere of influence will lose loved ones to pneumonia. With every visit to the communities, Kayode reiterated the following information from UNICEF to ‘his listeners’ that “Pneumonia accounts for 15% of all deaths of children under 5 years old, killing 920,136 children in 2015. Pneumonia is the number 1 killer among the leading infectious diseases. It takes more young lives than malaria, diarrhoea and HIV/AIDS combined. Annually, about 6 million new cases of pneumonia occurs in under-5 children in Nigeria.” Despite the fact that pneumonia can be easily treated and is preventable, every year an alarming number of children die from this deadly disease. According to Kayode, the core of his task in the remote villages of South West Nigeria is to demystify age-long beliefs in these communities that attribute pneumonia to exposure to cold, to consumption of cold drinks and water as well as sleeping on cold floor. He informs parents that pneumonia is an acute respiratory infection caused by a virus, fungi or bacteria that infects the lungs. World Health Organisation (WHO) states that ‘Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common bacteria associated with pneumonia in children’. If infected, children could experience symptoms such as cough, difficulty breathing, fast breathing, chest in-drawing and/or wheezing. Also, death from childhood pneumonia is linked to poverty-related factors such as poor nutrition, lack of safe water and sanitation as well as inadequate access to health care. Six (6) out of 10 childhood pneumoniadeaths is concentrated in 10 countries namely Chad, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Angola, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and Indonesia. World Pneumonia Day is commemorated annually on November 12 globally, let us join Kayode in spreading the information about Pneumonia and save a child. To reduce preventable child deaths in Nigeria we must tackle the scourge of pneumonia because every breathe counts. Recommended ways to prevent, protect and treat children of pneumonia.Routine immunizations against Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib), pneumococcus, measles and whooping cough.Consumption of drinking water, good sanitation and hygienic practice such as handwashing with soap.Good nutrition especially for children over 6 months of age.Covering the mouth with a tissue while sneezing or coughing, throwing it away immediately and washing hands.Not sharing cups or kitchen utensils with others.Keeping the air clean at home.Adequate nutrition with exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of age and eating vitamin-rich foods. Watch this video to find out some of the simple ways you can help prevent pneumonia. If you want to learn more about this disease and other ways to help prevent it, visit Stop Pneumonia.Join the conversation and keep up with updates on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #gskspon, #Vaccineswork, #Stoppneumonianow The post Kayodes effort in ending pneumonia appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.
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