Child Lung Health

Child Lung Health

Each year more than three million children die before they reach the age of five from acute respiratory infections such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, HIV-related lung disease, and asthma. Reducing the incidence and spread of these preventable diseases is an obligation of all governments and must be prioritized by the international community. Indeed, one of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals is to reduce the mortality rate of children under five by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015.

World Lung Foundation is committed to helping countries meet these goals and provides financial and technical assistance to governments and NGOs working on the ground in low- and middle-income countries. The Foundation is an active planning partner in the Child Survival Initiative, under which the U.S. Congress has obligated more than $5 billion to addressing child mortality initiatives such as vaccinations, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, and other infectious diseases. WLF focuses on asthma, pneumonia and HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis.

Asthma

According to the World Health Organization, asthma is the most common chronic disease among children. Undiagnosed and under-treated, most asthma-related deaths occur in low- and lower-middle income countries. Children are at particular risk because they are still in development and generally have weaker immunity to triggers such as dirt, allergies, cigarette smoke or pollution.

Asthma is manageable in developed countries because no cost barrier to treatment exists. This is not the case in the countries where most asthma patients live. World Lung Foundation supports development of comprehensive treatment for child asthma patients, from diagnosis to medicine provision to long-term case management. It raises funds and provides technical expertise to health practitioners in high-burden countries. The Foundation, for example, sponsored 20 runners in the New York City Half-Marathon and raised more than $45,000 for child asthma treatment in Kenya.

Pneumonia

Pneumonia kills approximately two million children globally, more than any other illness. More than half of these deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia. Most of these children die from severe pneumonia, which is five times more common in low- and middle-income countries than in richer countries, with a death rate that is 10 to 50 times higher.

Preventing a child from developing pneumonia in the first place is key to reducing deaths. A recent report from UNICEF outlines a number of such preventive measures, including adequate nutrition, breastfeeding and zinc intake; raising immunization rates; promoting hand washing; and reducing indoor air pollution, including household smoke.

This unacceptable mortality rate can also be attributed to the high cost of vaccines and antibiotics, as well as inadequate drug distribution. Moreover, there are generally no clear protocols for treatment of childhood pneumonia, so if sick children go to an emergency room, they may receive inadequate care.

For more information, go to Related Links: Child Lung Health