The World Pneumonia Day is observed on the 12th of November, with the purpose of spreading awareness among people to understand the need to stand together and demand action in the fight against Pneumonia.
What is Pneumonia? Pneumonia is the world’s biggest infectious killer of children, and when it comes to Pneumonia, it kills more children than the combined mortality rate caused by diseases such as AIDA, measles, and malaria. This makes it understandable, how important oxygen is when there is a lack of oxygen in the lungs. Pneumonia is a contagious disease that spreads through coughing and sneezing, and it can also spread through fluids such as blood during childhood birth and infections. According to WHO, 14 Lakh children die every year because of this disease, and unfortunately every 39 seconds a child dies because of Pneumonia. And also, it has been estimated that 16 Lakh pneumonia deaths are reported among adults.
The world’s first Pneumonia was observed in 2009 and the aim was to raise public knowledge to join hands to bring global attention to this disease. The general motto to observe this day was “Healthy Lungs for all” and it has been maintained since 2009. Unfortunately, there were approximately 1.2 million children died due to Pneumonia in 2009. In 2013 this day was observed on an international and global scale and an integrated Global Action Plan for the prevention and control of Pneumonia and Diarrhea was launched by WHO and UNICEF.
Every year there is an awareness Campaign to make people aware about Pneumonia under various themes. This year, an awareness Campaign called “Pneumolight 2022” is organized with the theme and slogan “Pneumonia Affects Everyone”. 228 monuments will be illuminated to mark World Pneumonia Day with the support of 42 countries and “Catia Cilloniz Research Group at Barcelona” is the global campaign coordinator. Mostly World Pneumonia Day is celebrated by talking about pneumonia, participating in awareness campaigns, and helping those who have pneumonia. Our future exists in the hands of our future generations, and it is our responsibility to free them from this disease and protect these generations from this.
