Pneumonia, despite being treatable, is likely to kill over 17 lakh Indian children in India and over 1.1 crore children around the world, a study has shown. The study conducted by UK-based NGO ‘Save The Children’ showed that India will also be among the top four countries in the world to bear the highest pneumonia deaths by 2030.

India, Nigeria, Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo are likely to witness the highest pneumonia deaths by 2030. The study was released on Monday, which was the World Pneumonia Day.

The study pointed out that the deaths are likely despite the disease being treatable. The report showed that of the 1.1 crore expected deaths, over 40 lakh could be easily averted if focused actions are taken. The study said that improve rates of vaccination, treatment and nutrition are key to avert the deadly disease among children below five years of age.

As per the World Bank data, pneumonia accounted for 16% of all deaths of children under five years old, killing 9,20,136 children in 2015. It pointed out that while pneumonia caused by bacteria can be treated with antibiotics, only one-third of children suffering the disease receive the antibiotics they need.

The Ministry of Health posted a tweet on the World Pneumonia Day to spread awareness about preventing the disease.

Pneumonia is a form of acute respiratory infection that affects the lungs. The lungs are made up of small sacs called alveoli, which fill with air when a healthy person breathes. When an individual has pneumonia, the alveoli are filled with pus and fluid, which makes breathing painful and limits oxygen intake.

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