India has failed to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing infant mortality to 52 per 1,000 for 2015. Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) district secretary P S N Murthy said that WHO target could not be achieved and the biggest culprit for it was pneumonia.
The World Pneumonia Day, November 12, was used to take stock and the infant mortality and India has an under-five mortality are of 52.7 per 1,000 live births.
India had the highest number of child deaths in the world, with an estimated 1.2 million deaths in 2015—this constitute 20 per cent of the global 5.9 million child deaths.
Dr Murthy said according to the WHO, pneumonia (bacterial) was the world’s number one vaccine-preventable cause of death among children younger than five years.
Poor Awareness, lack of vaccination and misuse of antibiotics were the cause for the high child mortality.
IAP district president M A Rehaman said that vaccine provided the infants good protection, exclusive breast feeding (only breast milk and nothing else) until six months, administration of Vitamin A and proper complementary feeding after six months, good hygiene, safe drinking water would reduce the child mortality rates tremendously.
IAP State executive body member C Mallikarjuna Rao said that vaccination would reduce the death of infants with pneumonia.
