Peru hosts global conference on World Pneumonia Day | Presentation

Entering the 21st century, pneumonia remains the leading cause of death among children worldwide. According to official information from UNICEF, more than 2,000 children die from pneumonia every day, that is, one person dies every 42 seconds.

Most deaths occur in children under 5 years of age. Although this is a disease that can be prevented and cured with existing vaccines and treatments; the problem with neuralgia is the lack of economic resources to avoid these fatal consequences.

Take Peru as an example; according to the Ministry of Health, as of September this year, 8,223 cases of pneumonia have been reported in children under 5 years old, and 58 of them died of pneumonia.

Worldwide, this disease kills more than 2.5 million children and adults each year.

For pneumonia researcher Dr. Catia Cilloniz, it is a treatable and preventable disease, and by taking the necessary measures, cases can be significantly reduced. It must be remembered that Peru is one of the 10 countries in America where the child mortality rate exceeds 90%.

In search of solutions to mitigate what could become another pandemic more deadly than the coronavirus, this year dozens of experts and representatives from global organizations fighting pneumonia will convene at the 3rd World Pneumonia Day Global Conference The conference, which this year will have the participation of Peru as its host country.

The event will take on a hybrid format (half virtual, half in-person) and is organized by Every Breath Counts alliance members Pneumolight, the Peruvian Pulmonary Society and Continental University. The central theme is: “Reducing the Burden of Pneumonia in the Americas”, developed by a number of experts from the United States, Switzerland, Spain, the United Kingdom, Argentina and other countries, who will present the situation in the United States about this disease and ways to reduce it.

“Pneumonia affects everyone, and the high risk of another pandemic (this time from a respiratory infection) can only be avoided if measures are taken to reduce the number of pneumonia deaths; this will kill millions of older people and children over the next decadeCatia Cilloniz, a Peruvian researcher who led the meeting, said.

“The third World Pneumonia Day global conference will explore the impact of pneumonia in the region, where 323,000 people die each year, including 20,700 children under the age of five“,progress.

The free conference will be held on November 10 at the Peruvian Medical College Conference Center.