Global Coalition Against Pneumonia

The Global Coalition Against Pneumonia exists to raise global awareness AbOUT child pneumonia. The group is raising a collective voice to review the global fights against pneumonia through putting on World Pneumonia Day on November 2, 2009. Word Pneumonia Day is to be a turning point for how the world responds to childhood pneumonia. Child pneumonia is a solvable problem. The coalition is working to save millions of lives through protecting children against pneumonia with proper nutrition through exclusive breastfeeding, preventing pneumonia with new and existing vaccines, particularly Hib and Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and treating pneumonia by training health workers to recognize symptoms of pneumonia and increasing access to appropriate antibiotic treatment.

World Pneumonia Day

World Pneumonia Day will provide an annual forum for the world to stand together and demand action in the fight against pneumonia. Pneumonia is a preventable and treatable disease that kills more than 2 million children under 5 each year. Pneumonia kills more than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined, yet many people are unaware of pneumonia’s overwhelming death toll. Pneumonia has been overshadowed as a priority on the global health agenda, and rarely receives coverage in the news media. World Pneumonia Day will help bring this health crisis to the public’s attention and will encourage policy makers and grass roots organizers alike to combat the disease. The WHO is offering technical assistance to the global coalition against pneumonia for World Pneumonia Day.

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