Although nearly 2 million children die from the disease every year, with
nearly all deaths occurring in 68 developing countries, relatively few
resources are dedicated to addressing pneumonia.
The Global Action Plan for the prevention and control of Pneumonia (GAPP)
seeks to raise awareness of the disease's massive toll, makes
recommendations on what needs to be done, and lays out specific goals and
targets.
The three-pronged plan calls for:
? protecting all children by providing an environment where they are
at low risk of contracting the disease through exclusive breastfeeding for
six months, adeq
uate nutrition and reducing indoor air pollution, among other measures
? preventing children from becoming ill through vaccinations against
diseases causing pneumonia, such as measles and pertussis and
? treating children who come down with pneumonia with the right care
and antibiotics.
WHO Director-General Margaret Chan expressed confidence in the plan, which
has a $39 billion price tag, stressing that "if it is applied in every high
burden country, we will be able to prevent millions of death."
For her part, UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman underscored that
"effective interventions to reduce deaths caused by pneumonia must be used
more widely made more readily available for children at risk."
The GAPP aims to boost coverage of all relevant vaccines and exclusive
breastfeeding rates to 90 per cent to reach the goal of slashing child
pneumonia deaths by 65 per cent and cutting the number of severe cases by 25
per cent, compared to 2000 levels.
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