To mark the World Pneumonia Day, observed on November 12, specialists warned that whenever one feels difficulty in breathing the doctors must be consulted immediately. They further say that if lung infection sets in, something must be done to fight it. It is easily treated if the patients come to the doctors soon after the problem starts, they say.

The secretary, Association of Physicians of India, Dr Sanjay Shah says, “There is a variety of pneumonia. But the major prevention for all lies in taking a balanced nutritious diet. The under-nourished children are more prone to pneumonia. However, one thing must be kept in mind that the problem of malnutrition is not found just in the poor children from the developing countries.  Even the obese children from the developed nations may catch the disease on account to lack of balanced nutrition.”

The fatal pneumonia in the children is preventable with a vaccine, the doctors say and add that Pneumococcal Bacteria spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes. “The pneumococcal vaccine helps build immunity in the child,” said Swami Dayadhipananda of Ramakrishna Mission Hospital here. India alone accounts for 20% of all pneumonia deaths across the world, he informed.

It is learnt that in India, two lakh children die from pneumonia annually and it kills more children in India aged below five years than any other infectious disease does.

The doctors expressed concern over the fact that a very few states have adopted the vaccine so far. It costs approximately Rs 11,000 per child for all the three doses of the vaccination. More and more states must adopt the vaccination programme to keep the disease at bay, they affirm.

Besides conventional medicines, it is important to have nutritious diet to reduce damage to the lungs, advise the nutritionists. Pneumonia diet should be rich in Vitamin C like lemons, pineapple and oranges while milk should be shunned, they say and add that the spices rich in antioxidants like turmeric, Dalchini and Tulsi are good.

They say that pneumonia prevents lungs from moving enough oxygen into the bloodstream. Blood tests and chest X-ray are the general methods used to confirm an infection and its location. Besides, they help identify the type of organism causing the infection.

Though the home remedies cannot cure pneumonia they certainly help combat the symptoms like sore throat. Gargling with salt water is good as it helps to rid of mucous in the throat and relieve irritation.

Peppermint also helps expel mucus and give relief since it is a proven decongestant, anti-inflammatory. It acts as a painkiller too. The doctors thus suggest drinking peppermint tea.  This aside, taking warm water and vegetable soup gives relief to the infected lungs, they say.