8/7/2023 0 Comments Double phenomenaAnd the pressure of COVID-19 on oxygen systems has compounded pre-existing gaps. In many countries without strong health systems, oxygen is only available at higher level health facilities and hospitals. That’s because the inflammation of their lungs prevents enough oxygen from entering their bloodstream.Įvery year, in low- and middle-income countries, an estimated 7 million children under the age of 5 are admitted to hospitals with pneumonia, requiring urgent oxygen treatment to survive.Īccess to oxygen has for a long time been unavailable to those who need it. Oxygen is an essential and life-saving treatment for children and newborns suffering from severe pneumonia. What role can oxygen play in treating pneumonia? Tuberculosis in particular often remains un-diagnosed. those causing tuberculosis) requiring other treatments. Other causes of pneumonia are viruses or mycobacteria (e.g. Yet only one third of children with pneumonia receive the antibiotics they need because they lack access to quality health care. In developing countries, a large number of pneumonia cases is caused by bacteria and can be treated with low cost antibiotics. The treatment for pneumonia depends on the type of pneumonia. The number of breaths for ‘fast breathing’ depends on the child’s age – younger children normally have higher rates of breathing than older children. For instance, a 5 month old child who takes 50 breaths per minute would be breathing too fast, and could have pneumonia. few doctors, lack of access to chest x-rays and laboratories), health workers often rely on diagnosing pneumonia by counting the number of breaths the child takes per minute. In countries without strong health care systems (i.e. Sometimes they may use chest x-rays or blood tests for diagnosis. Health workers can diagnose pneumonia through a physical exam, including checking for abnormal breathing patterns and listening to the child’s lungs. It can also be spread through other fluids, like blood during childbirth, or from contaminated surfaces. Pneumonia is contagious and can be spread through airborne particles (a cough or sneeze). Children with pneumonia usually experience fast breathing, or their lower chest may draw in or retract when they inhale (in a healthy person, the chest expands during inhalation). newborns) or weakened – such as by undernourishment, or diseases like HIV – are more vulnerable to pneumonia.Īs pneumonia is an infection of the lungs, the most common symptoms are coughing, trouble breathing and fever. Children whose immune systems are immature (i.e. When a child is infected, their lungs are filled with fluid and it becomes difficult to breathe. It doesn’t have one single cause – it can develop from either bacteria, viruses or fungi in the air. Pneumonia is an acute respiratory infection of the lungs. It is inexcusable that thousands of children are unable to access the essential health services and treatments, which can prevent pneumonia and save their lives. Almost all of these deaths are preventable. Every year, it claims the lives of more than 700,000 children under the age of 5, including over 153,000 newborns, who are particularly vulnerable to infection.Įvery day, at least one child dies every 45 seconds from pneumonia. Many people associate pneumonia with the elderly, but it is actually the biggest infectious killer of children worldwide.
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