ARIAtlas.org
Pneumonia is responsible for nearly 20
percent of child deaths globally.
Source: ARIAtlas.org, World Lung Foundation 2010
Global Impact
Almost 1.6 million deaths from pneumonia occur
•annually
in children under five, about one-fifth of all
pediatric deaths around the world (based on 8.8 million
pediatric deaths from all causes in 2008). By contrast,
732,000 children die from malaria and 200,000 from
HIV/AIDS each year.
Global Impact
Every year, an estimated 156 million new cases of pneumonia
•occur,
97 percent of them in the developing world. Seventy-
four percent of those cases occur in just 15 countries, mostly in
South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, with 43 million cases in
India alone.
Improved living standards and access to antibiotics
•transformed
the trajectory of pneumonia in the developed
world during the 20th century. In the United States,
pneumonia-related deaths among children fell by 97 percent
between 1939 and 1996.
Actions That Make a
Difference
Breastfeeding plays a key role in preventing pneumonia,
•providing
proteins, enzymes, and other cells with
immunological properties, as well as all the nutrients an
infant needs.
Actions That Make a
Difference
Access to antibiotics and vaccines should be scaled up.
•Treating
all children who need them with antibiotics could
cure most cases of bacterial pneumonia and save as many
as 600,000 lives every year. Children in countries that do
not have access to the Streptococcus pneumoniae and
Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccines are 40 times more
likely to die than those living in countries that administer
the vaccines routinely.
Actions That Make a
Difference
treatment of pneumonia is imperative. As many
•asPrompt
20 percent of infected children will die if they are left
untreated, sometimes within three days after symptoms
first appear. Adequate oxygen systems reduce mortality,
but they are overlooked by the global health community
as a key component of care.
Actions That Make a
Difference
Caregivers need to be educated about pneumonia. In
•the
developing world about 20 percent of caregivers
recognize its symptoms, and only about 54 percent
respond to those symptoms by taking the child to a
health care provider.
WHO says that a combination of vaccines, standard
•case
management, and breastfeeding counseling could
prevent 5.3 million pneumonia deaths over five years.
The burden of pneumonia in the developing world
is nearly ten times that of the developed world.
Source: ARIAtlas.org, World Lung Foundation 2010
The lower a country’s income, the more
child deaths from pneumonia.
World Bank Income Group (2004)
Source: ARIAtlas.org, World Lung Foundation 2010
Deaths from childhood pneumonia can be
dramatically reduced with a package of proven
interventions.
Projected Lives Saved with Proven Pneumonia Interventions among “Countdown to 2015”Countries
Source: ARIAtlas.org, World Lung Foundation 2010
Half the severe cases of pneumonia among
children in developing countries are caused by
pathogens that can be stopped by vaccines.
Pathogens That Cause Pneumonia
Source: ARIAtlas.org, World Lung Foundation 2010
Pneumonia is responsible for almost 1.6
million deaths a year in children under five.
Source: ARIAtlas.org, World Lung Foundation 2010
Vaccines can prevent most childhood
pneumonia,
but HIV lessens their effectiveness.
Percent of Children under Five in Whom Pneumonia Vaccines Are Effective
Source: ARIAtlas.org, World Lung Foundation 2010