Child Lung Health
Each year, respiratory infections such as
pneumonia, tuberculosis, asthma, and
HIV-related lung disease kill more than three
million children before they reach their fifth
birthday. Most of these children die from
severe pneumonia, which is globally the single
leading cause of death among children under
five. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for the
majority of the world’s avoidable deaths from
acute respiratory infection and pneumonia in
children.
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 contributes to international efforts to reach this goal by supporting innovative approaches to improving child lung health, such as developing a model health services delivery system for the surveillance, diagnosis, and management of respiratory diseases in children.
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 contributes to international efforts to reach this goal by supporting innovative approaches to improving child lung health, such as developing a model health services delivery system for the surveillance, diagnosis, and management of respiratory diseases in children.
WLF and Child Lung Health by Numbers
- Pneumonia deaths in children under five in Malawi were reduced by more than half through the use of training and standard case management, among other techniques.
- An estimated 1,000 Kenyan children to directly benefit from WLF's interventions.
To see more pictures of NYC Half-Marathon, visit World Lung Foundation on Flickr
Spotlight: Child Lung Health
The Kenya Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (KAPTLD) is a constituent member of The Union and a member of the Stop TB Partnership. To improve asthma diagnosis and care in Kenya, KAPTLD has implemented a three-pronged approach:- Train health care providers and provide technical support to enhance good clinical practice in asthma;
- Subsidize and deliver preventive medications;
- Obtain data on disease burden by introducing recording and reporting tools in health facilities.
To help fund these critical initiatives, WLF entered a team in the July 2008 New York City Half-Marathon. Thanks to its runners’ fundraising and a dollar-for-dollar pledge by its Board of Directors, WLF raised $45,000 to provide a grant to KAPTLD.