Pakistan’s Punjab province is facing a heartbreaking rise in child deaths attributed to pneumonia, with 13 more children succumbing to the disease in a single day.
The alarming death toll has now reached four hundred and five children this year alone, according to the Punjab Health Department.
The devastating toll includes two children from Lahore, three from Faisalabad and two from Bahawalpur, highlighting the widespread impact of the disease in different regions. Additionally, Sheikhupura lost two children while Gujranwala, Multan and Rawalpindi each mourned the loss of one child to pneumonia.
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Within 24 hours, three hundred and four children in Punjab were diagnosed with pneumonia, underscoring the urgent need for intervention and support. Over twenty-nine thousand cases of pneumonia were reported in the province during the year, with Lahore alone witnessing the hospitalization of one hundred and fourteen children in a single day.
The Punjab Health Department has asked parents to ensure that their children complete the vaccination course. Immunization remains one of the most effective preventive measures against pneumonia and other infectious diseases and offers vital protection to vulnerable children.