Pneumonia, diarrhoea cause 1.4 mln child deaths a year, UN agency says

Pneumonia and diarrhoea together kill 1.4 million children each year, mostly in lower and middle-income countries, Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman, said here Friday, quoting a a new report issued by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

"Pneumonia in particular remains the leading infectious killer of children under five, claiming the lives of nearly a million children in 2015 -- more than malaria, TB, measles, and AIDS combined," Haq said at a daily news briefing here.

Approximately half of all childhood pneumonia deaths are linked to air pollution, a fact UNICEF said world leaders should keep in mind during ongoing climate change talks at the UN climate change conference, which is going on in Morocco.

The UNICEF report -- "One is Too Many: Ending Child Deaths from Pneumonia and Diarrhoea" -- said that pneumonia kills approximately one child every 35 seconds across the world.

"We have seen clearly that air pollution linked to climate change is damaging the health and development of children by causing pneumonia and other respiratory infections," said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Fatoumata Ndiaye.

"Two billion children live in areas where outdoor air pollution exceeds international guidelines, with many falling ill and dying as a result," Ndiaye said. "World leaders meeting at COP22 can help to save children's lives by committing to actions that will reduce air pollution linked to climate change and agreeing to investments in prevention and healthcare."

Like pneumonia, diarrhoea cases among children can, in many instances, be linked to lower levels of precipitation caused by climate change. Reduced availability of safe water leaves children at greater risk of contracting diarrhoeal diseases and suffering impaired physical and cognitive growth.

Nearly 34 million children have died from pneumonia and diarrhoea since 2000. Without further investment in key prevention and treatment measures, UNICEF estimates that 24 million more children will die from pneumonia and diarrhoea by 2030.

"These illnesses have such a disproportionately high impact on child mortality and are relatively inexpensive to treat," said Ndiaye.

"Yet they continue to receive only a fraction of global health investment which makes absolutely zero sense," the deputy head of UNICEF said. "That's why we're calling for increased global funding for protective, preventive and treatment interventions that we know will work to save children's lives."

Meanwhile, UNICEF is also recommending increased funding for child healthcare generally and also for that focused on groups of children especially vulnerable to pneumonia and diarrhoea -- the youngest and those living in lower and middle-income countries. The report shows:

-- Approximately 80 percent of childhood deaths linked to pneumonia and 70 percent of those linked to diarrhoea occur during the first two years of life;

-- Low- and lower-middle income countries are home to 62 percent of the world's under five population, but account for more than 90 percent of child pneumonia and diarrhoea deaths globally. Enditem