pneumonia

The study indicated that in children with severe zinc deficiency could be a possible marker of severe pneumonia. The immune related functions of zinc include optional functioning of both innate and acquired immunity and impaired immune functions due to inadequate zinc status which may be the most common secondary immune-deficiency inhumans, zinc also has an auto-inflammatory and antioxidant agent8 In a study done in Iran by Saleh et al9 a cross-sectional study indicated that there was no statistically significant relationship between plasma level of Zinc and clinical course of pneumonia.

One hundred and fifteen patients diagnosed with pneumonia (55.7% male and 44.3% female) were compared with the healthy control group of 87 children (57.5% male and 42.5% female).

Anyone can get pneumonia, but those at high risk are infants from birth to age 2, and adults aged 65 or older.

'The Philippines is one of the 15 countries that together account for 75 percent of childhood pneumonia cases worldwide,' the UN World Health Organization (WHO) reports.

Often, this complication is another infection that brings about pneumonia.

When contacted, Bisham THQ hospital MS Dr Mansoor Ahmed said that it was not pneumonia outbreak, but such cases surfaced usually in the winter due to severe cold and dry spell.

She said that the vast majority of older people with pneumonia are hospitalized, where they could be treated with intravenous antibiotics and older people could get very sick very fast from pneumonia and tend to respond less well to oral antibiotics.

"Despite the fact that free vaccination is available in the country, pneumonia is killing as many as 92,000 children annually," reveal the figures released by WHO on the eve of Pneumonia Day.

Globally, pneumonia accounts for more than 920,000 deaths among children under five years and Pakistan is among five countries which account for 99% of childhood pneumonia cases.

Dr Nisar Rao emphasized on doctors to keep up to date with the knowledge and latest research regarding the disease in order to play a vital role in controlling pneumonia.

Since pneumonia often follows respiratory infections, be aware of any symptoms that linger more than a few days.

CHARSADDA -- As all the attention of health departments is on polio this year World Pneumonia Day passed unnoticed here at Charsadda.

ISLAMABAD:Medical specialist on Monday stressed the need for creating awareness among the masses about the necessity of vaccinating children against pneumonia, a disease responsible for thousands of children's death in the country each year.

Yasmin Rashid has stressed upon parents to make their children immunized from deadly disease of Pneumonia. In a message on the eve of World Pneumonia Awareness Day (Nov 12) she reiterated that Punjab government was committed to immunize every child from diseases.