Tackling pneumonia could avert almost 9 million child deaths this decade

Dar es Salaam. Tanzanian children, today, stand a better chance of surviving past their fifth birthday than ever before. Addressing malnutrition, air pollution and lack of access to vaccines and antibiotics can further reduce the drivers of preventable child deaths from pneumonia

Dar es Salaam. Boosting efforts to fight pneumonia could avert over 153,000 child deaths from pneumonia and other major diseases in Tanzania, a new analysis has found ahead of the first ever global forum on childhood pneumonia in Barcelona January 29 and 31.

According to a modelling by Johns Hopkins University, scaling up pneumonia treatment and prevention services can save the lives of 61,302 children under the age of five in Tanzania. It would also create ‘a ripple effect’ that would prevent 92,310 extra child deaths from other major childhood diseases at the same time, underscoring the need for integrated health services.

In a statement unveiled by on Friday, January 31, United Nations Children’s Fund, Communication Specialist Communication, Advocacy and Partnership Ms Usia Nkhoma

“Pneumonia is caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi, and leaves children fighting for breath as their lungs fill with pus and fluid. Globally, it is the biggest single killer of children, claiming the lives of 800,000 children last year, or 1 child every 39 seconds. Despite considerable progress made by Tanzania, 312 children under-5 continue to die in the country, every day, due to preventable causes including pneumonia.,” read part of the statement

Although some types of pneumonia can be prevented with vaccines and can be easily treated with low-cost antibiotics if properly diagnosed, tens of millions of children are still unvaccinated, globally,  – and one in three children with symptoms do not receive essential medical care.

Child deaths from pneumonia are concentrated in the world’s poorest countries and it is the most deprived and marginalised children who suffer the most. Forecasts show that over 149,131 children under the age of five could die from pneumonia between 2020 and 2030 in the United Republic of Tanzania, on current trends.  Globally over the next decade, deaths are likely to be highest in Nigeria (1.4 million), India (880,000), the Democratic Republic of Congo (350,000) and Ethiopia (280,000).

Health interventions aimed at improving nutrition, providing antibiotics and increasing vaccine coverage, boosting breastfeeding rates – key measures that reduce the risk of children dying from pneumonia – would also prevent millions of child deaths globally from diseases like diarrhoea, measles and sepsis.

Chief of Health, and UNICEF Tanzania, Kyaw Aung said, “Today, Tanzanian children stand a better chance of surviving past their fifth birthday than ever before. The government’s implementation of high-impact health programmes such as routine immunization, and improved management of common childhood illnesses, has saved the lives of thousands of children across the country,’

“However, if we are serious about ending preventable child deaths, we have to address pneumonia. This means not only improving timely detection, prevention and prescribing the right treatment but also addressing the major causes of pneumonia deaths like malnutrition, lack of access to vaccines and antibiotics, and tackling the more difficult challenge of air pollution,” said Aung