How to tell it’s pneumonia
Nov 14, 2010
THE sight of a baby lying helpless with tubes protruding through the nose, sends chills down the spine. This is a common sight in the Mulago children’s ward. The majority are pneumonia patients, some on oxygen.
By Agnes Kyotalengerire
THE sight of a baby lying helpless with tubes protruding through the nose, sends chills down the spine. This is a common sight in the Mulago children’s ward. The majority are pneumonia patients, some on oxygen.
Rita Nalweiso, a parent who recently lost her five-month-old baby to the disease, says the condition started as a cough and flu and two days later, the baby’s temperature rose and breathing become difficult. She was put on oxygen, but it was too late to save her life.
Dr Eric Wobudeya, a paediatrician at Mulago Hospital, says: “Every 20 seconds, a child dies of pneumonia worldwide while in Uganda, about 14 children die of pneumonia everyday.â€
Wobudeya defines pneumonia as an acute respiratory infection that affects the lungs. “The lungs are made up of small sacs (alveoli) which fill with air when one breathes.
However, in the case of a pneumonia, the sacs are filled with pus or fluid which makes breathing painful and limits oxygen intake,†Wobudeya says.
Causes
Dr. Sabrina Kitaka, the president the Uganda Paediatric Association, says pneumonia is caused by viruses and bacteria. The commonest is streptococcus pneumonia.
She says haemophilus influenza type b comes second. It is passed on by droplet infection, for example when someone with the bacteria coughs. Respiratory syncytial virus is the commonest viral cause of pneumonia in infants infected with HIV.
Transmission
Kitaka says pneumonia can be spread in a number of ways. “The virus and bacteria that are commonly found in a child’s nose or throat can infect the lungs if inhaled.
They may also spread through air when an infected person coughs. Pneumonia may spread through blood, especially during and shortly after birth.
Symptoms
Dr. Thereza Piloya, a paediatrician at Mulago Hospital, says the symptoms of pneumonia vary according to one’s age.
Younger children may present with fever or irritability, while in newborns, a specific type of pneumonia (group B Strep) presents with difficulty in breathing.
But as children get older, the symptoms of pneumonia become more specific. These include cough, a fever, chills, loss of appetite and wheezing.
Complications
Piloya says pneumonia kills quickly because it causes suffocation. It punctures the lungs and instead of air going in the lungs, it ends up in the chest.
In addition, it causes pus or fluid to form in the lungs. If a child survives, scars develop in the lungs, consequently affecting breathing. If the bacteria get into the blood, a child gets an infection which may spread to the brain, causing meningitis.
Who is at risk?
Kitaka says while most healthy children can fight the infection with their natural defense, children whose immune system is compromised are at higher risk of developing pneumonia.
Pre-existing illnesses, such as HIV, sickle cell and measles increase the risk of contracting pneumonia. Smoking, cooking on a charcoal stove or firewood and living in a crowded house increase a child’s susceptibility to pneumonia.
Prevention
Wobudeya says pneumonia can be prevented through vaccination against measles, pertussis, streptococcoccus pneumonia, hemophilus influenza and prevention of HIV.
Adequate nutrition, for example, exclusive breastfeeding is also essential to boost children’s immunity.
This is also effective in preventing pneumonia and reducing the length of the illness.
Wobudeya discourages indoor air pollution and encourages hand washing as well as hygiene in crowded homes.
THE sight of a baby lying helpless with tubes protruding through the nose, sends chills down the spine. This is a common sight in the Mulago children’s ward. The majority are pneumonia patients, some on oxygen.
Rita Nalweiso, a parent who recently lost her five-month-old baby to the disease, says the condition started as a cough and flu and two days later, the baby’s temperature rose and breathing become difficult. She was put on oxygen, but it was too late to save her life.
Dr Eric Wobudeya, a paediatrician at Mulago Hospital, says: “Every 20 seconds, a child dies of pneumonia worldwide while in Uganda, about 14 children die of pneumonia everyday.â€
Wobudeya defines pneumonia as an acute respiratory infection that affects the lungs. “The lungs are made up of small sacs (alveoli) which fill with air when one breathes.
However, in the case of a pneumonia, the sacs are filled with pus or fluid which makes breathing painful and limits oxygen intake,†Wobudeya says.
Causes
Dr. Sabrina Kitaka, the president the Uganda Paediatric Association, says pneumonia is caused by viruses and bacteria. The commonest is streptococcus pneumonia.
She says haemophilus influenza type b comes second. It is passed on by droplet infection, for example when someone with the bacteria coughs. Respiratory syncytial virus is the commonest viral cause of pneumonia in infants infected with HIV.
Transmission
Kitaka says pneumonia can be spread in a number of ways. “The virus and bacteria that are commonly found in a child’s nose or throat can infect the lungs if inhaled.
They may also spread through air when an infected person coughs. Pneumonia may spread through blood, especially during and shortly after birth.
Symptoms
Dr. Thereza Piloya, a paediatrician at Mulago Hospital, says the symptoms of pneumonia vary according to one’s age.
Younger children may present with fever or irritability, while in newborns, a specific type of pneumonia (group B Strep) presents with difficulty in breathing.
But as children get older, the symptoms of pneumonia become more specific. These include cough, a fever, chills, loss of appetite and wheezing.
Complications
Piloya says pneumonia kills quickly because it causes suffocation. It punctures the lungs and instead of air going in the lungs, it ends up in the chest.
In addition, it causes pus or fluid to form in the lungs. If a child survives, scars develop in the lungs, consequently affecting breathing. If the bacteria get into the blood, a child gets an infection which may spread to the brain, causing meningitis.
Who is at risk?
Kitaka says while most healthy children can fight the infection with their natural defense, children whose immune system is compromised are at higher risk of developing pneumonia.
Pre-existing illnesses, such as HIV, sickle cell and measles increase the risk of contracting pneumonia. Smoking, cooking on a charcoal stove or firewood and living in a crowded house increase a child’s susceptibility to pneumonia.
Prevention
Wobudeya says pneumonia can be prevented through vaccination against measles, pertussis, streptococcoccus pneumonia, hemophilus influenza and prevention of HIV.
Adequate nutrition, for example, exclusive breastfeeding is also essential to boost children’s immunity.
This is also effective in preventing pneumonia and reducing the length of the illness.
Wobudeya discourages indoor air pollution and encourages hand washing as well as hygiene in crowded homes.