UNICEF Report: India Second largest in Pneumonia deaths

UNICEF Report: India Second largest in Pneumonia deaths

According to a new report by the UN, India had the second-highest number of deaths of children under the age of five in 2018 due to pneumonia, a curable and preventable disease that claimed the life of one child every 39 seconds globally.

Key Points:

• Globally more than 800,000 children died due to Pneumonia under the age of 5. 
• The report stated that though the disease is preventable through vaccines, more than 10 million die annually due to the disease.
• The five countries that were responsible for more than half of child deaths due to Pneumonia were India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia. Pneumonia is responsible for 15% of deaths in children under the age of 5. 
• This report has named the disease a “Forgotten Epidemic”. Around half of pneumonia deaths are actually associated with air pollution.
• The report mentions the following as the causes of Pneumonia in children under the age of 5 as Inadequate Health Care, Lack of access to drinking water, Indoor Air Pollution, Burden of undernutrition.