World Pneumonia Day

Pneumonia can be prevented with vaccines, and easily treated with antibiotics costing just 20 pence if properly diagnosed.

Despite this, it still kills more children under five than any other infectious disease. 

Pneumonia claims the lives of over 800,000 children under the age of five each year. 

It leaves an estimated 4.2 million children under the age of five in 124 low- and middle-income countries with critically low oxygen levels.

The situation threatens to become even more serious as a result of the disruptions to health services caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

“These findings show pneumonia is a disease that affects the poorest children worst of all, wherever they are in the world. But while British children almost always survive, millions of children in poor countries are dying for want of vaccines, a few pence worth of antibiotics, and routine oxygen treatment. With such simple solutions, no child should have to die from pneumonia regardless of where they live.”

“This is a forgotten global epidemic that demands an urgent international response. The UK government must continue to invest in global efforts to tackle the pneumonia crisis so that children everywhere can access life-saving healthcare.”

Kevin Watkins, CEO Save the Children UK