In commemoration of the just concluded World Pneumonia Day 2021 which is observed every November 12th, Save the Children International (SCI) representing the interests of children across the globe seeks action plan to end child death from the menace. ADEOLA TUKURU reports.
Every year, an estimated 4.2 million children in low- and middle-income countries who have low levels of oxygen in their blood require urgent oxygen treatment to survive due to pneumonia.
Other reports estimate that at least one child dies every minute from pneumonia a largely preventable and treatable disease every day.
With the theme: Pneumonia and Air Pollution, the World Pneumonia Day 2021 focuses on one of the greatest risk factors of Pneumonia, SCI with funding from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the Pneumonia Centenary Commitment (PCC), engaged the Child Rights Advocacy Club at the Government Junior Secondary School (GJSS) FCT to mark the 2021 World Pneumonia Day, with the aim of curbing the largest infectious killer disease of children under the age of five.
Although one of the best tools to prevent Pneumonia exists, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted immunization services, leaving millions of children at greater risk of missing out on critical vaccinations, such as Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV).
Available data have shown that global vaccination rates have dropped to levels which have not been recorded in a decade, with 3.5 million more children not receiving vaccines at all in 2020, compared to 2019.
SCI’s campaign awareness programme
During the engagement of the SCI to Child Rights Advocacy Club at the Government Junior Secondary School, GJSS to mark the 2021 World Pneumonia day, the Principal of Government Junior Secondary School, Gwagwalada, Mrs Florence Okonkwo said the school have been able to create a gender assembly where they do a lot of sensitization talks among the teachers and the students to prevent Pneumonia .
The Child Rights Advocacy Club was formed in 2011 when SCI received funding for campaign from
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation BMGF to involve child have a say and participate in issues that concern them.
She said “ We do more on sensitization on the things they need to know by not exposing themselves, ensuring a clean environment and everything other things they need to know.
According to her, through SCI engagement, they have been able to encourage the students to wash their
hands regularly and maintain the physical hygiene.
Health care facilities
On the facilities available in the school, Mrs Okonkwo said although they have an health care centre which was equipped by the FCT administration but the facilities need to be expanded considering the high population of the students in the school .
She also called on the need for the Federal Government employ certified and trained Nurses and Doctors so that they can attend to the children whenever they have issues .
While commending the Save the Children International for their efforts towards curbing Pnuemonia , Mrs Okonkwo said SCI are really doing well in Pneumonia advocacy and there has been a lot of improvement since her assumption into the school but other NGOs should also key into the program in fighting the dreaded disease.
Pneumonia can be treated if sick children have access to timely care. Sadly, for many children and their families, access to timely essential and life-saving treatments such as oxygen and antibiotics remains the difference between life and death.
In the same vein, a Teacher in the school and also the Facilitator of the Child Rights Advocacy club , Mr Emmanuel Onoja explained that every week the club members in the school gather at each classes of JSS 1,2 and 3 to discuss, educate and enlighten themselves and other children on how to curb Pneumonia.
“Members are also told on the need to create more awareness especially by telling their parents and guardians on how to protect their children in causes of Pneumonia such as bush burning , cooking with fire woods , exposing the children to cold , indiscriminate dumping of refuse and sewage and the need to clean their environment,” he said.
These children are dying due to a combination of factors, which includes living in homes that regularly use polluting fuels for cooking, heating and lighting. This is the situation for many households and families in Nigeria.
Behavioral changes among students
According to him, since the creation of the Advocacy club , they have noticed changes in members as most of them ensure that other students don’t litter the school environment and dump refuse anyhow within the school premises .
A member of the club, Marvelous Edeh who is in JSS 2E said part of the things taught in the school club is advocating for the less privileged and also the need for the Federal Government to build more Health centers .
She also said they create awareness of Pneumonia on the social media platforms. “ I have also been campaigning as an individual to ensure people wash their hands regularly and eat balance diet such as fruits , vegetables and also drink a lot of water,”she said .
The need for collective responsibility
The Country Director, Save the Children International Nigeria, Mercy Gichuhi, said this year’s World Pneumonia Day reminds us of our collective responsibility to take action and confront one of the greatest threat to our existence.
She said Air pollution is not only changing the environment; it is denying children the chance of celebrating their fifth birthday and we must not allow this to continue and we all must work together to protect the future, by ensuring that children born today survive their fifth birthday.”
She said with funding from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the Pneumonia Centenary Commitment (PCC), Save the Children International through the INSPIRING project is testing approaches that works in preventing pneumonia deaths in Nigeria.
“We are supporting the Government of Nigeria to strengthen health systems capacity to appropriately detect and treat children with pneumonia, while expanding access to essential immunization services.
“We are mobilizing communities to encourage preventive and protective practices and timely care-seeking and to better understand the risk factors such as air pollution, that put children at risk of pneumonia,” she said.
The Chief of Party, INSPIRING Project, Save the Children International Nigeria, Dr Adamu Isah said this year’s World Pneumonia Day aptly reflects one of the reasons pneumonia continues to be the leading childhood infectious disease in Nigeria.
He said to defeat pneumonia, we will need to confront the underlying factors such as air pollution and ensure families modify and change practices that expose children to indoor air pollution.” said .
