Over 7000 children die of pneumonia in Sindh: report

KARACHI: Pneumonia claimed the lives of more than 7000 children under the age of five this year in Sindh, according to Sindh Health Department.

According to the Sindh health department official, as many as 7,462 children have died and 27,136 children under the age of five have been affected by the deadly pneumonia virus in Sindh in 2021.

The statement further said that more than 46 children over the age of five and 8,534 people — including children and adults — suffered from Pneumonia in 2021.

More than 60% of cases were reported from rural areas of Sindh while 40 per cent from urban part of the province, he added.

According to UNICEF, Pneumonia is caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi, and leaves children fighting for breath as their lungs fill with pus and fluid.

According to WHO estimates, pneumonia accounts for 16 per cent of the total child deaths, making it the leading killer of children under five globally.

More than 880,000 children — mainly aged less than two years old — died from pneumonia in 2016 alone.