Child pneumonia overlooked as cases surge in post-COVID era — experts.
File photo of vaccine
The STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — Irene Gasta, a mother from Davao, feels "guilty" that she got
pregnant in a community filled with smokers.
"[H]abang nagbubuntis pa ako, marami na akong nakikita sa mga post sa Facebook
patungkol sa [pneumonia]," Gasta told Philstar.com. "At isa daw sa mga main reason ay
ang usok ng sigarilyo na maaari nilang malanghap. At parang guilty ako doon dahil
marami talagang naninigarilyo sa amin at isa na ang papa niya."
(During my pregnancy, I read a lot of Facebook posts about pneumonia, where one of
the reasons is inhaling second-hand smoke. And I feel guilty because there are a lot of
smokers in our area, including his father.)
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Gasta's guilt turned into fear when her child was diagnosed with bronchopneumonia, a
bacterial infection that inflames the alveoli, at just six months old.
"Simula noong nagka-pneumonia siya, every month na siya inuubo hanggang ngayon.
Nawawala din naman," Gasta said. "Pero every 20th ng buwan, na-notice ko na inuubo
na siya sa ganiyang araw."
Pneumonia can be largely prevented by inoculating a 10- or 13-valent pneumococcal
conjugate vaccine (PCV), which became part of the DOH's national immunization
program in 2015.
However, most vials are not reaching Filipino children. Ong-Lim cited UNICEF's 2023
"State of the World's Children" report, which found that the Philippines ranked fourth in
the top 20 countries with the largest number of zero-dose children.
Zero-dose children are increasingly becoming a cause of concern in many countries
where they have not taken a single jab.
"In remote rural villages, in city slums, in conflict and fragile settings, and in many other
places around the world, far too many children are not getting the vaccines they need to
protect them against serious disease," the Unicef report stated. "Their lives are often
marked by multiple deprivations, with limited access to basic services, such as clean
water, education and – crucially – primary health care."
Citing the DOH's data, Ong-Lim said only 3.6 million Filipinos took the PCV as of 2022,
miles away from the target of 22.5 million. More than 20 million is needed to halt the
transmission of pneumonia.
Capeding then urged parents to get the shot against pneumonia as vaccines helped
societies overcome worse diseases such as COVID-19.
"We should consider vaccinations […] as part of our lifestyles," she said. "Dapat priority
for mothers, for parents na i-consider na ang vaccination should be a priority rather than
toys."
The World Health Organization recommends PCV to children aged 12 to 59 months. —
Intern, Eduelle Jan Macababbad