Mawlamyine, 3 September
Most of the children in Mon State are suffering from pneumonia as a result of the current climate change and air pollution, raising concerns, doctors told Than Lwin Times.
Pneumonia cases have been reported in Mawlamyine and the majority of townships in Mon State in recent months.
Children’s hospitals and clinics have become overcrowded with pneumonia patients, and some private schools in Yangon were temporarily closed due to outbreak of this disease last month.
According to a doctor, current pneumonia is severe, and there is a shortage of medicines on the market, which leads to deaths.
Pneumonia is a disease that can be spread by catching a cold, having a runny nose, coughing, breathing polluted air, having poor nutrition, or eating food with preservatives during weather changes.
Pneumonia cases were rarely seen in children before, but now there are infections and deaths among children, so doctors are urging the public to take special care of children.
A doctor said, “Pneumonia is spread through the air like COVID-19, and children infected with the disease have to rely on oxygen or asthma inhaler.
Pneumonia symptoms include having a fever for three days, feeling tired, and not eating normally. If these symptoms develop, doctors advise people to go to the hospital and clinic immediately.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), nearly three million people, including children, die from pneumonia every year, and one-third of them are caused by air pollution.
Save the Children announced early last year that one in 25 children dies before reaching their first birthday, and 29 percent of children under five are stunted due to chronic malnutrition.
News-Than Lwin Times
Photo-UNICEF
Thanlwintimes