It is World Pneumonia Day on Friday and to celebrate it, several functions will be conducted in the city of Sangam, where doctors will spread awareness about the disease and urge parents to safeguard their children from it.

As per doctors, Pneumonia that is characterized by filling of fluid in the lungs adversely affects children under the age of five the most. The death rates due to this disease among the children under five are more than the collaborative death rate of AIDS, malaria, and measles.

Pneumonia is a severe form of respiratory infection, in which the lungs stops functioning properly. Its symptoms include cough, fever and difficulty in breathing. If one affected with this disease is not treated timely, it could prove lethal to him/her.

Dr. SAM Meesum, Senior Medical Officer of community health stated that in some cases pneumonia occurs due to the inhaling of small droplets in the air containing organisms that are responsible for disease. These droplets are released into the air by the coughing or sneezing of infected people. He added that in some cases, the disease erupts due to the contact of bacteria or viruses present in the mouth, throat, or nose to lungs.

He expressed that children can be protected from the disease by providing them vaccination and antibiotics. But, in developing countries, many children remain deprived of life-saving vaccines and only 20% receives the antibiotics associated with pneumonia.