Dr Binta Jibir, a Pediatrician, has emphasised on the need for effective immunisation of children below the age of five, in order to protect them against pneumonia.
Dr Jibir, the Chief Medical Director of Isyaka Rabiu Pediatric Hospital Kano, made the call in an interview on Saturday to commemorate the World Pneumonia Day.
She said that if parents allowed their children to receive the childhood preventable vaccines, their children would not be exposed to pneumonia.
According to her, “Pneumonia is a number one killer disease amongst children below the age of five, even worse than malaria and diarrhea.
“A large number of children die of Pneumonia annually, thus the need to utilise this day to caution all stakeholders on the disease,” she said.
She said it was a day used to create awareness to parents, caregivers and healthcare workers on symptoms and signs of the disease to suppress morbidity and mortality rate.
Jibir further explained that some of the causative organisms for Pneumonia were actually preventable.
November 12 of every year is used to create awareness on pneumonia and to advocate global action to protect, prevent and treat the respiratory disease.
The day was first observed in 2009 under the ‘Stop Pneumonia’ initiative by the Global Coalition Against Child Pneumonia.
