The Top Leading Causes of Death Among Filipino Children: Pneumonia and Diarrhea

Do you know that the top leading causes of death among Filipino children less than 5 years of age is Pneumonia and Diarrhea? Everyday, 37 Filipino children die of Pneumonia and more than 13 children dying due to diarrhea.

What is Pneumonia and Diarrhea? Why it is one of the top 2 leading causes of mortalty and morbidity here in our country? What are the symptoms? treatments? Can Pneumonia and Diarrhea be prevented?

During the launch of GSK’s “No Lost Hope” `campaign, Dr Sally Gatchailan, Philippine Foundation for Vaccination Director, discuss these two top leading causes of death among Filipino children less than 5 years of age and how it can be prevented.

PNEUMONIA

What is Pneumonia? It is an infection of the lungs which is primarily characterized by inflammation of the microscopic air sacs known as alveoli. These tiny air sacs are responsible for the oxygen exchange in our body during breathing. If there is pneumonia, these tiny sacs are inflamed and is filled with pus, thus making it hard for oxygen to reach our blood. If there is little oxygen in our blood, the cells won’t function well and that is how deadly Pneumonia can be.

What are the causes of Pneumonia? Pneumococcal disease is an infection caused by the bacterium S. pneumoniae (also known as pneumococcus). It can also result to acute otitis media (AOM), an ear infection, a common and highly prevalent disease. It also includes severe diseases such as meningitis, complicated pneumonia, and sepsis (blood poisoning), which occur when the pneumococcus “invades” the blood. The invasive forms of the pneumococcal disease are a category called Invasive Pneumococcal Disease (IPD).

What are the symptoms of Pneumonia? Symptoms of Pneumonia includes cough, chest pain, fever and difficulty in breathing. Pneumonia can be diagnosed through physical exam and diagnostic tests such as X Ray and Blood Test.

Can Pneumonia be prevented? Yes, Pneumonia can be prevented through hand washing, preventing air pollution, and adequate nutrition and through vaccination. Ask your pediatrician about pneumococcal disease and the vaccine to prevent it.

DIARRHEA 

What is Diarrhea? Diarrhea is characterized by loose bowel movement and when left untreated it can lead to dehydration. We know that our body is 70% water, so just imagine if we lose water in our body, that can be very deadly. Diarrhea is most severe and frequent in infants aged 3-24 months.

What are the causes of Diarrhea? Rotavirus Gastroentitis (RVGE) is the most common cause of diarrhea. RVGE is contagious and the most common way of transmission is fecal-oral route. It is when an infected stool is passed to a mouth of another child, also touching a surface that has been contaminated by the virus and touching the mouth can lead to infection.

What are the symptoms of Diarrhea? The symptoms of this deadly disease includes watery stool, vomiting, fever and sometimes abdominal pain. Diarrhea if left untreated can lead to dehydration and symptoms of dehydration includes dry mouth, absence of tears when crying, sunken eyes and extreme thirst.

Can Diarrhea be prevented? Prevention will always be better than treatment, no doubt about that. As how diarrhea can be prevented, frequent proper hand washing is necessary. A vaccine is also available to protect children from Rotavirus, ask your pediatrician about it.

GSK’s SUPPORT IN THIS CRUSADE

GSK’s “NO HOPE LOST” is an awareness campaign on the heavy burden of pneumonia and diarrhea as the top leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the Philippines, specifically among children 5 years old and below, and if left unchecked can potentially lead to devastating consequences. 

“With the help of our dear pediatricians, and the Department of Health, we are committed to the reduction of pneumonia and diarrhea cases nationwide by supplying high quality vaccines. These diseases account for an alarming almost 50 mortalities per day in the Philippines. GSK is here to support the Filipino medical community and the government’s drive to make health services accessible to everyone,” said Philip Cruz, GSK medical director.

THE GOVERNMENT’S ROLE IN FIGHTING THESE KILLER DISEASES 

In 2012, the Philippine government acknowledged this burden and addressed it by introducing rotavirus vaccine (RV) in the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) where 700,000 Filipino children aged six weeks to six months were given free rotavirus vaccines. 

In 2013, the Department of Health (DOH) leveled up the fight against the top killer of Filipino children by including another novel vaccine called pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in the EPI.

This combined effort to protect Filipino children against pneumonia and diarrhea contributes to the achievement of Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 of reducing infant and child mortality by 2/3 by 2015.

Now that you know about Pneumonia and Diarrhea, will you let your child be one of the 37 or 13? Help us spread the word about these two deadly disease so that those numbers will decrease.