Pneumonia is a serious life threatening illness in children. It is a form of Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) that affects the lungs that are made up of small sacs called ‘Alveoli’. Hen hey get infected, these alveoli fill with pus and fluids. This makes it difficult for the baby to breathe and limits the oxygen intake.
The Scary Statistics:
• Pneumonia is the world’s leading killer of children under the age of five.
• Each year, pneumonia takes the life of 1.4 million children before they reach their fifth birthday*.
• One child dies from Pneumonia every 15 seconds*.
• In India, More than 370,0000 children below the age of 5 lost their lives due to Pneumonia in 2008.
• Pneumonia is caused by Hib (Haemophilius influenza