The President, Paediatric Association of Nigeria, PAN, Dr Dorothy Esangbedo, has again reiterated that  pneumococcal disease remains a significant burden in Africa, accounting for 20 per cent of under five deaths in Nigeria.

Esangbedo spoke at the Africa Middle East Pneumococcal Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirate (UAE). In her  paper entitled “Epidemiology and Burden of Pneumonia in Africa’’ she  said the use of the pneumococcal vaccine in some developing countries like Saudi Arabia, Gambia and Jordan had shown tangible results.

“We must take action to prevent its burden, it is our duty, as health care providers, parents, family members and citizens to place prevention at a high priority.

“It is our responsibility to protect our most vulnerable citizens who are our future, especially given that pneumococcal vaccine and immunisation programme has demonstrated tangible results.

She said there was need for effective prevention to continue, especially before the age of five to reduce infant deaths and morbidity.

“For Nigeria and indeed most African countries to attain the MDGs, there was urgent need for inclusion of the pneumococcal vaccine in the routine immunization programmes of these countries.

“Pneumonia is responsible for more infant deaths than malaria and HIV combined, we still have three years to 2015 and I believe we can arrest the situation, if urgent steps are taken to introduce the vaccine.’’

Esangbedo however, cautioned health care givers to take time to run tests on patients especially children under five years, who present with symptoms of malaria.

“Pneumonia and malaria most times present with the same symptoms, and most health care givers confuse the two. Sometimes the two co-exist, and care givers treat malaria and leave pneumonia.’’

She asserted that the pneumonia burden was worse in Nigeria due to reduction in exclusive breastfeeding, which remained at 13 per cent.