Medical experts have described pneumonia as the second highest killer of Nigerian children after malaria. They said the condition kills more than one million children below the age of five years every year.
The experts who spoke at different fora in Ogun and Cross River states,
as well as in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, as part of
activities to mark the 2013 World Pneumonia Day, identified ignorance,
environmental pollution and poor vaccination rates as reasons why
Nigeria records one of the highest number of deaths from pneumonia.
Dr. Rotimi Adesanya, a public health and child health consultant said a survey conducted in Lagos State showed that three out of
every four people respondents said pneumonia was caused by
drinking cold water or exposure to air conditioning and cold weather
while others were ignorant of the cause of the disease.
He said, “Globally, an estimated one
million children die of pneumonia yearly and 160,000 of these deaths
occur in Nigeria because we are ignorant of the factors responsible for
pneumonia.
“Pneumonia is a communicable disease
caused by bacteria, fungi and virus gotten from dirty environment, not
cold weather. The organisms that cause pneumonia are highly contagious,
the viruses or bacteria can be spread to others by coughing and
sneezing, inhaling germs from dirty environments.
“Pneumonia is not prevented or treated
by wearing sweaters or keeping warm. Use of cough mixtures in children
does not stop pneumonia. Drinking cold drinks does not cause pneumonia.
Eating hot meals and keeping warm is not a solution to pneumonia.”
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