Over 50 children die of pneumonia at BBH so far

Rawalpindi : Well over 50 children have died of pneumonia at Benazir Bhutto Hospital in town in the last one-and-a-half months while the number of admitted child patients suffering from the disease is still over 40.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Saturday has revealed that from December 1 last year to January 15 this year, as many as 658 children below five years of age have been discharged from BBH after treatment while another nine child patients aged between six years and 10 years have achieved complete cure from pneumonia at BBH.

As many as 47 children below five years of age have died of pneumonia at the hospital while the infection claimed the life of one child over five years of age. The hospital, however, has received not a single child patient over 10 years of age with pneumonia so far this year. Pneumonia, the number one global cause of childhood mortality, has claimed over 10 lives in the last two weeks.

The data reveals that over seven per cent of the child patients reaching BBH with pneumonia could not survive. Principal Rawalpindi Medical College and In-charge Allied Hospitals Professor Dr. Jahangir Sarwar Khan informed ‘The News’ on Saturday that the number of pneumonia cases reaching Paediatrics Department has been on the rise particularly from December onwards.

He said it is time to create awareness among the public, particularly mothers about various aspects of the infection as delay in presenting child patients with pneumonia to the hospital is one of the major causes of deaths. Ignoring early signs of pneumonia can be a death sentence. The symptoms of pneumonia include rapid or fast breathing, cough, fever, chills, loss of appetite, wheezing, lower chest wall in drawing while very severely ill infants may be unable to feed or drink and may also experience convulsions.

Pneumonia is a form of acute respiratory infection that affects the lungs. It is caused by viruses, bacteria or fungi (germs). The viruses and bacteria that are commonly found in a child’s nose or throat can infect the lungs if they are inhaled. They may also spread via air-borne drops from a cough or sneeze.