Health department steps up anti-pneumonia stance

The Department of Health (DOH) has taken an intensified stance against the deadly disease of pneumonia with the “Laban Pneumonia” campaign.

Together with local government units and private sector partners, the DOH is stepping up awareness about the disease and employing the latest technology in pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to protect Filipino children, particularly those in the most underserved communities across the country.

The campaign kicked off in Cebu, with the vaccination program to initially cover Region 7 or Central Visayas, as well as Region 8 or Eastern Visayas—comprising areas hardest hit by last year’s Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan).

The launch was held in Barangay Inayawan, South District, Cebu City, where a ceremonial immunization was initially administered to 20 children. The DOH aims to vaccinate around 400,000 beneficiaries in the identified regions, in coordination with their respective local city governments.

“Pneumonia has been identified as among the top five causes of mortality in the Philippines, averaging fourth in the past 10 years,” said Dr. Joyce Ducusin, OIC-director 3, Family Health Office, National Center for Disease Prevention and Control, DOH.

“The good news is that pneumococcal diseases can easily be prevented with the simple practice of vaccination,” explained Dr. Gigi Claveria, Pfizer Philippines medical manager.

The DOH is launching the campaign by rolling out the latest pneumococcal conjugate vaccine that provides the broadest coverage against the major serotypes or strains of infectious bacteria that cause pneumococcal disease—one that, according to Unicef, places the Philippines in the top 15 countries globally with the highest number of cases of pneumonia among children 5 years old below.

Pneumonia is merely one of the many different types of pneumococcal diseases, which is a group of illnesses caused by the Streptococcus pneumoniae  bacteria. It can include invasive infections, such as meningitis and sepsis, as well as noninvasive infections such as acute otitis media, sinusitis and pneumococcal pneumonia, which is an infection of the lungs by the bacteria. Symptoms of pneumonia can easily be mistaken for common cough, colds or fever, but if left untreated, can be extremely fatal.

“Our ‘Laban Pneumonia’ campaign solidifies our goal to decrease or ultimately eradicate pneumonia among Filipinos, especially our children, as we strive to meet our commitments to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),” said Health Undersecretary Janette Garin.

Similarly, Pfizer Philippines considers the project as a valuable contribution toward supporting the government’s maternal and child health targets under the United Nations’ MDGs. “We are privileged to be part of this meaningful campaign to help enhance the Philippine government’s health programs, especially in the fight against pneumonia,” said Mark Swindell, regional president of Pfizer Vaccines–Asia Pacific/China.