TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI) member Wahyuni Indawati said that efforts were needed to overcome several risk factors the smallpox in children at the same time to prevent the spread of disease.
“If we provide protection with a vaccine that can prevent the cause of pneumonia, it can reduce up to 49 percent,” said Wahyuni in a Ministry of Health broadcast on the occasion of World Sun Day, Monday, November 11 2024.
In addition, exclusive breastfeeding provided during the first six months of a baby can reduce the risk of developing pneumonia by 15-23 percent. Then, reducing pollution, both indoor and outdoor, can reduce the risk by up to 50 percent. He believed that it was necessary to do these things at the same time to reduce them risk of pneumonia in children.
Wahyuni said, Takes into account interesting data showing that children exposed to cigarette smoke are four times more likely to need hospitalization due to respiratory problems and 2-3 times more likely to visit the emergency department due to the those problems. There are other factors such as poor nutrition, living in a crowded environment, chronic diseases, immune problems, and comorbidities.
According to him, children born prematurely and with low weight are also at risk of developing pneumonia. Wahyuni explained that many infections are caused by viruses and bacteria and the organisms that cause them are different depending on the age of the child so the antibiotics needed are different. In newborns and children, the most common cause is streptococcus pneumonia. At the age of more than 5 years, most of them are unusual germs, for example pneumonia microplasma.
Pay attention to the symptoms
Symptoms of pneumonia specific ones are respiratory problems such as coughs and colds. Because it is caused by an infection, the symptoms that appear include fever, weakness, lethargy, decreased appetite and the child looks silly.
“The most important thing is if there are signs that there is infected lung tissue involved, that is we can see that the child usually breathes faster and when he breathes he has to an effort that is characterized by pulling the chest wall in,” he explained.
Wahyuni remembered that pneumonia kills children around the world who are often unconscious. Therefore, he discussed the importance of efforts to overcome this.
“One child dies every 43 seconds as a result of pneumonia. So, this is happening all over the world, not only in Indonesia. But in fact the highest number is in developing countries, including Indonesia. Therefore, we must remember that one out of every five children “He died of pneumonia, so this must be a common enemy for us so that we can overcome it,” he said.
2024-11-11 13:30:00
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