22 Mar Vaccination: The sure way to prevent pneumonia, diarrhea deaths
New Vision
PNEUMONIA and diarrhoea are life threatening diseases. It is better to prevent them, and the easiest way is through vaccination. Vicky Wandawa writes why they need to be included on Uganda’s vaccination rota
Vaccination against respiratory diseases
Count to 15 seconds and somewhere in the world, a mother is trying to get to terms with her child’s death. According to statistics, every 15 seconds a child succumbs to pneumonia.
In low income countries, 36% of deaths among children under the age of five are a result of pneumonia and diarrhoea, according to World Health Organisation statistics, 2010. Sabrina Bakeera-Kitaka, a paediatrician at Mulago Hospital, says the percentage translates into 40 babies dying everyday of pneumonia alone and 25 from diarrhoea.