BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Government on Thursday launched a Social Awareness and Action to Neutralise Pneumonia Successfully (SAANS) campaign on the occasion of World Pneumonia Day for reducing the overall burden of childhood pneumonia in the State.
Pneumonia is one of the topmost killers of children under five years of age (under-5) contributing to nearly 14 per cent (pc) of mortality among the kids. At an average of 640 children per day, an estimated 2.33 lakh children die due to pneumonia and diarrhoea every year in the country.
Odisha is one among the eight worst performing states where under-5 mortality rate (U5MR) is high as compared to the national average and preventable causes of death like pneumonia and diarrhoea are the reasons behind the mortality.
As per the latest health survey, the U5MR in Odisha is 49.1 per 1,000 live births against the India average of 42.4. The U5MR in the State is fourth highest after Uttar Pradesh (59.7), Assam (54.9) and Madhya Pradesh (50.7).
In a bid to check the deaths, a comprehensive campaign encompassing community and facility level activities along with awareness drive at various levels has been launched.
Additional Chief Secretary of Health and Family Welfare department Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra said the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has influenced child health in a myriad of ways building pressure on an already fragile healthcare system.
“We have launched the campaign to identify vulnerable children and provide them required treatment that would help reduce the unacceptably high burden of preventable child mortality. All healthcare workers have been trained for the first-of-its-kind drive,” he informed. The three-and-a-half-month-long SAANS campaign will continue till February 2021. During the campaign, ASHA workers will visit all households having under-5 children, assess them for signs of pneumonia, if any, and refer them for appropriate treatment.
They will also counsel all caregivers on prevention and control measures of childhood pneumonia at health facility level. All facilities will be geared up for management of pneumonia and severe pneumonia cases at village level.
Panchayatiraj institution members will be roped in for the purpose and they will be sensitised on protection and prevention measures apart from a State level IEC activities for creating mass awareness on the importance of early identification and treatment of childhood pneumonia.
PNEUMONIA BURDEN
Odisha is one among the 8 worst performing states where under-5 mortality rate (U5MR) is high as compared to the national average
Preventable causes of death like pneumonia and diarrhoea are the reasons behind the mortality
The U5MR in Odisha is 49.1 per 1,000 live births against the India average of 42.4.
The U5MR in the State is fourth highest after Uttar Pradesh (59.7), Assam (54.9) and Madhya Pradesh (50.7)