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Wednesday, October 15, 2003
Pneumonia hits more and more children
By Linette C. Ramos
CEBU -- Government doctors warned the public Tuesday against the spread of pneumonia among children, after they noted an increase in the number of cases of respiratory illnesses.
Dr. Allan Monteclar, chief of the pediatrics ward of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC), urged mothers of children aged five years old and below to visit their doctors at the first sign of pneumonia and other respiratory diseases.
At VSMMC alone, the 12-bed respiratory pediatrics ward had 20 pneumonia patients as of Tuesday, eight of whom are occupying stretchers and other extension beds.
The emergency room has 20 to 30 patients a day who complain of symptoms of pneumonia, including those who avail themselves of outpatient services.
The Cebu City Health Office also recorded a total of 2,732 cases of pneumonia and 3,751 cases of bronchitis from January to August this year.
Of the 2,732 cases of pneumonia, 397 resulted in death, 52 of which belonged to the zero to four-year-old age group.
Symptoms of pneumonia, which may be viral or bacterial, include cough and difficulty in breathing. The patient may or may not have fever.
"There is an increasing rate of transmission, particularly among schoolchildren, because of the sudden change of climate. Like dengue fever, pneumonia cases are unusually high after the rainy days," Monteclar said.
He said the number of patients admitted at the pediatric ward because of pneumonia is higher than in the previous years.
In the past months, the case fatality rate of pneumonia among children was 10 percent, with two out of 20 admitted patients dying every month.
Monteclar advised the parents to practice early health care than self-medication at home, as pneumonia is often fatal especially among infants below two months old.
The zero to five-year-old age group is also considered a high-risk group, as well as individuals coming from congested and slum areas.
Monteclar said the VSMMC pediatric ward is admitting pneumonia patients more than its allowed capacity, since severe and very severe pneumonia patients need immediate medical care.
Ideally, VSMMC should only cater to patients from the different towns in Cebu who need the services of a tertiary hospital.
But Monteclar said they cannot refuse patients from Cebu City and those whose illnesses can be attended to in district hospitals.
(October 15, 2003 issue)
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