Pneumonia, a major public health problem, affects people of all ages. Even before the spread of the COVID-19, it is most serious for infants and young children, older people, those with comorbidities, and individuals who are immunocompromised.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, pneumonia is the seventh leading cause of death among Filipinos in 2021. The commemoration of the World Pneumonia Day is meant to remind people that they have a better fighting chance against the disease through collaborations and a multistakeholder health approach.
Different experts, scientific leaders, health authorities, and decision makers have shared their insights and experiences on how to stop pneumonia together.
Dr. Kim Patrick Tejano, national immunization program manager of the Department of Health; Dr. Fatima Gimenez, president of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines; and Brian Posadas, member of the board of the Philippines Foundation for Vaccination, talked about pneumonia prevention.
Meanwhile, Dr. Israel Pargas, senior vice president of PhilHealth, and Dr. Nephthalie Ordonez, president of the Philippine Academy for Pediatric Pulmonologists, tackled the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
Lastly, an open forum about pneumonia dubbed “fact” or “fake” was held with doctor-politician Janette Garin; Dr. Rontgene Solante, member of the board of the Philippine College of Physicians and Philippine Foundation for Vaccination; and Dr. Tina Santos, secretary of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination, as the segment’s guests.
Dr. Lulu Bravo, executive director and founding president of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination, shared the story of the first World Pneumonia Day which was hosted by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in New York on November 2, 2009.
“We attended a multistakeholder (meeting), and the first World Pneumonia Day was launched in blue jeans,” Bravo related. “We were asked to wear blue jeans to make the event not an elitist movement but for the masses, and something that will tell the world that pneumonia is the number one killer of children.”
Bravo and her team were there to support and raise awareness about many children and countries suffering from pneumonia. “The incidents of pneumonia kept rising and it has been forgotten as nobody seemed to take note that the number of children dying each year has gone up to almost two million. People did not realize this,” she said.
“We were there to encourage multi-stakeholders such as the health workers, policy makers and decision makers,” she added. “People need to be educated on how many children are dying because they are not doing anything or they are silent.”
“To be silent is really a major sin when it comes to diseases,” Bravo pointed out. “Sometimes you feel you cannot do anything, so you will just keep quiet… To keep quiet is something that is going to pose a dramatic scene for all of us.”
“When you do public health, when you do prevention, instead of just being a doctor who treats your patient, you save lives, millions at a time,” she also said.
People prevent the transmission of disease by getting vaccinated, Bravo noted. “Do you realize that you can save lives? Maybe not millions, but hundreds or thousands at a time? And you can be the heroes, not just doctors who will save one or two lives at a time,” she explained.
She urged individuals to help increase information and knowledge as well as to act in a timely manner to encourage others to get vaccinated, urging them to be the real heroes who can help save lives.
“That is the essence of World Pneumonia Day. And in fact, in that first meeting, I remember there were religious people, even priests, or those who have influence over people, to really try to save lives. You can become the heroes of our world,” Bravo said.
According to the World Health Organization, had it not been for the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccines early in December 2020, 24 million lives would have succumbed.
Currently, about six million deaths are attributable to the COVID-19, Bravo cited. But there could be more as some cases were not recorded or some patients may have died because of the inability of a medical facility.
“We need to tell the people that they could become heroes for World Pneumonia Day,” Bravo said, stressing the importance of vaccination.
