November 12: World Pneumonia Day

World Pneumonia Day is being marked every year since 2009. The day was hosted by the Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia for the first time in 2009. The coalition includes several organizations across the world like CARE, Save the Children, PATH, UNICEF, WHO, etc.

Theme for 2019: “Healthy Lungs for all”

Highlights

This year global organizations have come together and created an initiative “Stop Pneumonia”. It includes WHO, UNICEF, ISGlobal, Save the Children, etc. The 2019 World Pneumonia Day is being launched by this organization.

The initiative will hold a conference in Barcelona, Spain between 29-31 January, 2020 to set pathways for the governments to meet the SDGs on child survival and to achieve GAPPD.

Objective

• To create awareness about the world’s leading killer of children under 5 (according to WHO)
• To create action plans to combat pneumonia
• To prevent and treat pneumonia

GAPPD

The Global Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhea was launched by WHO and UNICEF. It aims to accelerate pneumonia control. The aim of the organization is to reduce deaths due to pneumonia to less than 3 per 1000 live births by 2025.

India’s plans

• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched programs under MAA, UIP and ICDS initiatives to eradicate pneumonia.
• Also, the government has taken actions at the grass root levels to create awareness on preventing pneumonia through ASHA and Anganwadi workers
• According to WHO
  • In India around 300,000 die due to Pneumonia
  • It is concentrated in few handful of countries all over the world. It includes Nigeria, China, Pakistan, India, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo

The United Nations celebrated the first World Pneumonia Day in 2009.

Month: Current Affairs - November, 2019