PNEUMONIA KILLS MORE CHILDREN WORLDWIDE THAN ANY OTHER SINGLE CAUSE
Percentage of under-five deaths due to pneumonia and neonatal severe infections, by region (2000-2003)
Pneumonia
Pneumonia
World Fit for Children target: Reduce by one third deaths due to acute respiratory infections
Pneumonia kills more children than any other illness – more than AIDS, malaria and measles combined. Around 2 million children under five die from the disease each year – around one in five child deaths globally. In addition, up to 1 million more infants perish from severe infections, including pneumonia, during the neonatal period.
Preventing childhood pneumonia is critical to the MDG target of reducing child deaths. However, only about one in four caregivers knows the two key symptoms of pneumonia – fast breathing and difficult breathing – that indicate that a child should be treated immediately. More than half of under-fives with suspected pneumonia in the developing world are taken to appropriate health providers, but this proportion has increased little since 2000.
ANTIBIOTIC USE FOR PNEUMONIA: NEW DATA AVAILABLE
Percentage of children under five with suspected pneumonia who receive antibiotics in 36 countries (2005-2006)
MORE THAN HALF OF ALL CHILDREN WITH PNEUMONIA ARE TAKEN TO APPROPRIATE HEALTH PROVIDER
Percentage of children under five with suspected pneumonia who are taken to an appropriate health provider, by region (2000-2006)
