World Pneumonia Day is annually observed across the globe on November 12 to raise awareness and educate people about Pneumonia disease, the world’s most prominent infectious death of children under the age of 5.
- 12th November 2023 marks the observance of 15th World Pneumonia Day.
Theme:
The theme of World Pneumonia Day 2023 is “Every Breath Counts: Stop Pneumonia in Its Track”.
- The theme highlights the significance of every breath, and underscores the urgency of stopping pneumonia through early detection, treatment, and prevention.
Background:
i.World Pneumonia Day was established under the Stop Pneumonia Initiative by the Global Coalition Against Child Pneumonia in 2009.
- The campaign aims to raise awareness about Pneumonia.
ii.The 1st World Pneumonia Day was observed on 12th November 2009.
What is Pneumonia ?
i.Pneumonia is a serious lung infection that can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi.
ii.It causes inflammation of the air sacs in the lungs which cause a cough with mucus or pus, fever, chills, and difficulty breathing.
iii.Children whose immune systems are immature (i.e. newborns) or weakened by undernourishment, or diseases like Human Immunodeficiency Viruses (HIV) – are more vulnerable to pneumonia.
Stop Pneumonia Initiative:
i.Stop Pneumonia was an initiative that gave a voice to communities that suffer from the disease’s terrible effects and lack access to lifesaving interventions.
- It was launched in 2009 by the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Maryland, United States of America(USA).
ii.The Global Coalition Against Child Pneumonia, which included Non Government Organisations (NGOs), academic institutions, government agencies, and foundations, led these awareness activities.
Every Breath Counts:
i.The Every Breath Counts (EBC) Coalition is the world’s 1st public-private partnership (PPP) to support national governments to end pneumonia deaths by 2030.
ii.The coalition came into existence in 2017.
