Islamabad: As many as 7,462 children died of pneumonia and 27,136 children under five were affected in Sindh this year, according to the director-general of the provincial health department.
“More than 46 children over the age of five died and 8,534 people — including children and adults — suffered from pneumonia in 2021,” Geo TV quoted the department as saying on Tuesday.
According to the statement, “More than 60 per cent of cases pertained to the rural areas and the rest are from the urban part of the province.”
The News International quoted Pakistan Pediatric Association’s (PPA) former president professor Iqbal Memon as saying that pneumonia is the number one cause of death among children.
While the number of deaths can be reduced by vaccinating them at proper ages, most of the children do not get vaccinated, he added.
Meanwhile, Dr Khalid Shafi, a senior member of the PPA, said the cited toll is only that has been registered in official records.
About 90,000 children die annually in Pakistan due to pneumonia, he added.
