There is no food and tonic better than mother’s milk for the health and physical development of newborns. Postgraduate Medical Institute Principal Professor Dr. Al-Fareed Zafar said this while addressing the participants of a seminar on Pneumonia diseases at Lahore General Hospital (LGH) here on Sunday.
He said that mothers should breastfeed their infants for at least 6 months to develop immunity and they can protect against seasonal influences, pneumonia, respiratory disease, flu and chest infection. Medical experts said that according to the WHO, every year 26 lac children in the world lose their lives due to pneumonia.
He said that pneumonia is a disease of the lungs and respiratory system that affects lungs, the patient feel difficulty in breathing, high fever, chest infection, vomiting and drowsiness. Congestion and tremors are also among the symptoms of pneumonia, he added. He said that Pneumonia can occur at any age, but physically weak people and children should take special precautions in the winter season so that they are protected from this disease.
The principal PGMI said that the government had also included pneumonia vaccine in the immunization course for newborns in the EPI program, so parents should complete immunization course to protect their newborns at any cost. It must be done so that the children could be protected from infectious diseases like pneumonia by strengthening the immune system.
He added that especially in winter season, the healthcare of newborn children is the 100% respon-sibility of parents and they should make sure to follow precautionary measures because these inno-cent children cannot even change their sides in the bed on their own. He said that it is duty of the parents to take full care of them as their slight negligence and failure to complete the course of immunizations vaccine could cause the infants to suffer from many diseases including pneumonia which are life-threatening.
He said that every year millions of babies die before celebrating their first birthday.
Prof Faheem Afzal and Prof Muhammad Shahid said that the majority of children were deprived of other basic necessities in Pakistan due to lack of awareness about diseases, economic conditions and other reasons. He said that several children were deprived of basic necessities including healthy diets during the winter season due to lack of resources and such children get colds and flu easily which turn into pneumonia every year and due to which thousands of children do not reach the age of one year and they die due to pneumonia.
