Hidden Danger: Pneumonia?s Steady Death Toll

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/hidden-danger-pneumonias-steady-death-toll/405762

Hidden Danger: Pneumonia?s Steady Death Toll
Nurfika Osman | November 09, 2010

Jakarta. Pneumonia is the second-biggest killer of children in Indonesia, after diarrhea, and health experts say most people don?t realize how dangerous or commonplace it really is.

?Many mistake it for the common cold so they don?t get help until it?s too late,? Badriul Hegar, president of the Indonesian Pediatric Society (IDAI), said at a discussion on Tuesday...

 

[Laidback Al]

Re: Hidden Danger: Pneumonia?s Steady Death Toll

More from the article noted above by Shiloh

. . . In 2009, 25.6 percent of Indonesian children under the age of five suffered from pneumonia at some point, according to the Health Ministry. That figure marks a decrease from 26.4 percent in 2008.

The ministry also says that around 15.5 percent of children under five die from the inflammatory disease every year, mostly because they only receive treatment once the disease has reached its advanced stage.

. . .

?Unfortunately, when people start exhibiting influenza-like symptoms, health officials tend to be more focused on whether it could be avian or swine flu, rather than pneumonia, which is much more common,? Subuh said.

. . . .

Darmawan Budi Setyanto, a member of the Pediatric Society, blamed the spread of the disease on poor hygiene, pointing out that most affected children were from low-income families living in areas with poor sanitation.

?These unhygienic places are ideal breeding grounds for the bacteria that cause pneumonia,? Darmawan said.

He added that curbing the incidence of pneumonia would require better protection for vulnerable children, including ensuring they receive all the necessary vaccinations and were exclusively breast-fed from birth for at least six months to boost their immune systems.