960406

REDUCE CHILD MORTALITY

ARI programme to

highly successful

in Pakistan: WHO expert

ISLAMABAD: Out of hundred cases daily, thirty five

percent are Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) and further out of

that 35 percent, 80 percent suffer from diseases of

upper respiratory tract.

Further, seventy five percent (ARI) deaths in children below

five in Pakistan are due to Pneumonia.

About 250,000 children

below five in Pakistan die due to Pneumonia annually, said Dr.

Abdul Bari, Deputy National Programme Manager, Federal ARI

Cell, Children's Hospital, PIMS; while talking to APP here.

Diarrhoea comes after pneumonia, causing 200 deaths

annually, said Dr. Bari.

Deliberating it further, he said, the diseases covered by

extended programme of Immunization (EPI) namely

diptheria,whooping cough, Tuberculosis and measles were directly

or indirectly linked with deaths due to pneumonia.

The causative factors for Pneumonia as pointed out by Dr.

Bari were chilly weather, low birth weight, pollution including

smoke, cigarette, over crowding and lack of immunization and

deficiency of vitamin A.

Suggesting precautionary measures against Pneumonia, Dr.

Bari said, all children should be vaccinated at proper time,

breast feeding must be promoted, children should be provided with

good nutrients, pollution must be avoided, people should be

advised not to smoke and cook in living places.

Moreover, the child must be kept away from available infections

in the family that is coughing people should stay away from the

children.

Richest sources of Vitamin A, as pointed out by doctors

were green leafy vegetables, carrots, turnips, milk and poultry

products.

About the ARI programme, Dr. Bari said it was launched by

the Ministry of Health with the cooperation of World Health

Organisation (WHO) in November, 1989 with the two main

objectives:

- Firstly to reduce the mortality of children below five due

to pneumonia.

- Secondly to rationalise the use of antibiotics and other

drugs in ARI.

The main strategy of ARI programme, Dr. Bari said was the

training of Doctors, Nurses, Paramedics, General Practitioners and

the standard case management, promotion of Breast Feeding-EPI and

Immunization.

About the ARI programme, WHO expert Dr. Kim

Mullholland, Consultant ARI/Research WHO HQ, Geneva, Switzerland

said, Pakistan was one of the leading countries in the field of

Research in ARI.

The ARI programme he said was much ahead of many countries

and it was very advanced.-APP