Photo : Collected

DHAKA, May 16, 2025 (BSS) - Two-and-a-half-year-old baby Raida was sick for a couple of days. She was suffering from fever, cold and breath problems. Her father bought some medicines from the local pharmacy. But she was not getting well.
 
After five days, her parents went to a nearby pediatric doctor. After checking, the doctor suggested them to go for some urgent tests including chest x-ray and told them to bring the x-ray report within half or an hour.
 
As per the advice, Sadia and Anowar, parents of Raida, went for diagnosis and got the x-ray within 45 minutes. After getting the report, they visited the doctor. And seeing the x-ray, the doctor told them that Nadia is suffering from pneumonia and her condition was critical.
 
The doctor advised them to admit Raida to a hospital immediately. Hearing the situation, the parents burst into tears. They didn't understand what to do.
 
According to a survey, pneumonia kills more than one in ten under five years children in Bangladesh as pneumonia is one of the leading killer diseases.
 
Bangladesh committed to reaching global targets of reducing child pneumonia to 3 pneumonia deaths per 1000 live births, according to a report released by Save the Children and Johns Hopkins University.
 
The report highlighted that more collaborative efforts to fight pneumonia could avert nearly 140,000 child deaths from pneumonia and other related diseases in Bangladesh over the next ten years. 
 
Dhaka Shishu Hospital Dr Saidur Rahman said pneumonia is caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi, and leaves children fighting for breath as their lungs fill with pus and fluid. More children under the age of five died from the disease in 2018 than from any other, he added.
 
He said the disease can be prevented with vaccines, and easily treated with low-cost antibiotics if properly diagnosed. Children with severe cases of pneumonia may also require oxygen treatment, which is rarely available in the poorest countries to the children who need it, the doctor added.
 
In Bangladesh, pneumonia claimed the lives of more than 12,000 children under five, which is more than 1 child every hour. 13 percent of child deaths were due to pneumonia in 2018.
 
"Bangladesh is committed to reduce children dying from pneumonia to reach global targets of 3 pneumonia deaths per 1000 live births by 2025," said Dr Saidur.
 
He said "We have an aim to develop a National Pneumonia Prevention and Control Strategy to ensure quality equitable access to primary healthcare and contributing towards achieving Universal Health Coverage.
 
Save the Children appreciates the government's efforts in improving exclusive breastfeeding rates and reducing malnutrition rates in the country, he added.
 
Dr Saidur said most deaths from pneumonia in development and emergency context can be averted by ensuring high coverage of pneumonia vaccines, timely treatment of pneumonia at the community level and appropriate infant and young children feeding.