Uganda is preparing to immunize its citizens against Pneumonia according to the Ministry of Health in Kampala.

The vaccine will be made available in public hospitals by April 2013. The symptoms of Pneumonia are high fever, cough and difficulty in breathing seen in fast breathing and grunting.

The ministry of health has called on parents and all Ugandans in general to reduce on indoor pollution and crowding in their homes if they are to successfully fight pneumonia.

Indoor pollution can be reduced through improvement of ventilation, reducing the number of babies born and use of clean fuel for cooking to cut down on harmful smoke in the home.

Dr Sabrina Bakeera Kitaka, a specialist in paediatric infectious diseases, says pneumonia kills 56 babies every day in Uganda.

Dr Kitaka says episodes of pneumonia commonly occur along with diarrheal illnesses, and mortality in children sick with both pneumonia and diarrhoea is greater than mortality from either illness alone. The under-five mortality in Uganda currently stands at 90 from 138 per 1000 live births.

Pneumonia is preventable with vaccines that are only available in private hospitals in Uganda at the moment. In Uganda currently, a dose of synflorix vaccine for babies costs 100,000 shillings for each dose. A complete dose costs 300,000 for babies between one to two years while one dose for babies between two to five costs 140,000 shillings.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports indicate that pneumonia accounts for one fifth of childhood deaths around the world.

Ends