Due to the severity of the cold Punjab Pneumonia cases are increasing across the country compared to previous years and according to the Ministry of Health Punjab, children are more affected by this disease.
Vice Chairman of the University of Child Health Sciences, Professor Dr. Masood Sadiq, told Independent Urdu that pneumonia is not a new disease, it occurs every year and occurs in the winter months of December and January, the most vulnerable of which are young children and They are elderly.
He said: ‘For the past two years, we have been sending samples from children with pneumonia to the National Institute of Health (NIH) to find out which virus the children have. This year, more than 50 percent of the samples we sent to the NIH from children treated at Children’s Hospital, Lahore, tested positive for viral pneumonia, caused by two types of virus. One of them is RSV virus (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) and the other is influenza virus.
He said that these children are five years old and below and most of them are children below the age of one year, who are not immunized.
According to Dr. Masood Sadiq: ‘Generally, it was also observed that the number of children who suffer from pneumonia under the age of one year are those who do not drink mother’s milk and are being raised on canned milk. Babies who are breastfed have a much stronger immune system and are significantly less likely to get chest infections.’
Regarding this situation, Punjab’s caretaker minister for primary and secondary health care, Jamal Nasir, says that pneumonia has not spread for the first time, but every year, cases of pneumonia appear in winter, but this time, because there has been no rain and the season is earlier. It is colder and drier, along with smog and other allergens, which has led to an increase in these cases.
Jamal Nasir told Independent Urdu that ‘most of the victims of pneumonia are children and according to a conservative estimate, if 10 sick children are coming to the hospitals every day, five, seven or eight of them will have pneumonia. has a complaint.
He further informed that we currently have facilities for pneumonia patients in all hospitals. “On the instructions of Chief Minister Punjab, we are fully prepared and have ensured the supply of oxygen and ventilators in all government hospitals.”
Is a pneumonia vaccine available?
On this question, caretaker health minister of Punjab Dr. Javed Akram told Independent Urdu that there is a shortage of vaccines for adults but not for children.
He said: ‘The government has never bought the vaccine, it is bought from the private sector. Now, since this vaccine is from Pfizer and if they don’t get a fair price for their vaccine in a country, they will not give the vaccine in that country.
Dr. Javed Akram further said that the federal government has to negotiate for the purchase of medicines. It is not under our jurisdiction, we are asking the federal government to buy the vaccine.
On the other hand, caretaker minister for primary and secondary health of Punjab, Dr. Jamal Nasir, said that “a shortage of medicines has been seen because when pneumonia increased, there was a shortage of medicines from international companies, but now we have turned on local medicine companies.” The board has taken over and samples of their medicines are being sent for testing so that no fake medicines under the guise of pneumonia enter the market.’
What are the early symptoms of pneumonia?
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Professor Dr. Masood Sadiq said that the early symptoms of pneumonia should be considered if the baby is not drinking milk or the baby is breathing fast or his ribs have started moving (in this the baby’s ribs are clearly But breathing in and out is a classical symptom in children) or if he is drowsy, the child should be taken to the hospital or a doctor immediately.
He further said that in cases of pneumonia, we are also seeing a reason for bringing the child to the hospital late. ‘Often parents take the child to the hospital late and ignore the early signs of pneumonia and by the time they bring the child to the hospital it is already too late. They’re already immunocompromised babies, so they don’t have that much time, so if you get them to the hospital a few hours late, it’s forever late.’
How many patients suffered from pneumonia this year?
Various news are coming out regarding pneumonia, in which a large number of children and people who lost their lives due to pneumonia, however, no such data has been provided to Independent Urdu in this regard from any relevant institution. .
Caretaker Minister for Primary Health Dr. Jamal Nasir told Independent Urdu that ‘On the instructions of Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, data collection of pneumonia patients has been started for the first time in Punjab and for this purpose the health authorities of all districts have EOs have been mandated for data collection.
On the other hand, Dr. Javed Akram says that two to three deaths occur in Children’s Hospital every day due to pneumonia and this happens every year. .’
How can children be protected from pneumonia?
In this regard, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad, Director of the Extension Program for Immunization, says that in view of the severity of winter, parents should complete the immunization course for their children under two years of age, which includes the pneumonia vaccine. .
He said: ‘The pneumonia vaccine is given to children at six, 10 and 14 weeks of age and is available free of charge at all health centres.’
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed said that such children who could not be vaccinated for any reason should not delay now and get the children vaccinated.
He further said that to prevent pneumonia, young children must complete the course of immunization, take precautions to protect children from pneumonia, dress them in warm clothes and do not let them go out in the cold.
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2024-08-22 14:17:12
