World Pneumonia Day 2021: Know about its history, significance and more

World Pneumonia Day is observed every year on November 12 with the objective to increase awareness and to educate people about the acute respiratory infection which is generally overlooked. The World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted the fact that the severity rate of this disease is higher among children under the age of five, as a consequence, precautionary measures must be established at a very early age to avoid the disease from occurring. According to the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, every 39 seconds a child dies from pneumonia in various regions of the globe. 

Pneumonia affects the lung tissues of an individual further infecting the air sacs in the lungs. As a result, it causes inflammation which accelerates the formation of liquid-like substances or pus that gets accumulated in the alveoli and lung tissue. This then led to difficulties in breathing and eventually individuals die out of suffocation. Pneumonia basically affects people of all ages, although it is more common in small children and senior citizens. Pneumonia can range from moderate to chronic, based on the intensity of the inflammation. 

Symptoms of Pneumonia

People can identify pneumonia from the symptoms such as chest discomfort when inhaling or coughing, tiredness, fever, sweating, and chills that shiver. The other prominent symptoms are breathlessness, green phlegm, diarrhoea, headache as well as nausea. 

Furthermore, this illness is completely avoidable, and vaccinations are also available. Yet, as per UNICEF, the illness is underfunded in terms of financing to increase survival rates, receiving just 3% of worldwide infectious disease research money. Thus, to combat this negligence and promote awareness of the disease, this day is celebrated. 

History of World Pneumonia Day

In the year 2009, World Pneumonia Day was introduced for the first time. The Global Coalition Against Child Pneumonia, a coalition of communities, governments, and more than 140 non-governmental organisations, acknowledged the day.  

The World Health Organization along with UNICEF collaborated on an Integrated Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhoea in the year 2013, to cut down on the cases of Pneumonia fatalities. The collective goal of the organisations is to lower the number of death incidents of children from pneumonia by 2025. 

In addition to this, the theme of this year's World Pneumonia Day is focused on battling sickness and lowering disease's burden on health organisations. 

Significance of World Pneumonia Day

World Pneumonia Day oversees ill effects of the disease, its origins, and how it may be prevented or cured. It aspires to reduce the number of fatalities caused by deadly illness by proactive and long-term worldwide activities. 

The main goal is to raise awareness of the life-threatening condition in order to boost more funding for research, motivate organisations to speed up their efforts in the battle against the disease, and minimise fatalities. 

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