Awareness drive launched to prevent pneumonia among children

Tirupati: With the objective of preventing pneumonia among children below five years of age and reducing child mortality, the District Medical and Health Department is undertaking an awareness campaign under SAANS (Social Awareness and Actions to Neutralize Pneumonia Successfully) programme from November 12 to February 28.

As part of the initiative, District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) Dr V Balakrishna Naik unveiled posters and banners of the programme in Tirupati on Thursday. He said the campaign would focus on educating parents about pneumonia symptoms, preventive measures and the importance of timely treatment. The DMHO advised parents to exclusively breastfeed infants for the first six months and provide nutritious complementary food along with breast milk after six months. He also stressed the importance of ensuring that children receive all government-recommended vaccinations on time, maintaining clean surroundings, protecting children from smoke, dust and air pollution, and washing hands regularly with soap.

He instructed ASHA workers, ANMs and Anganwadi workers to visit households in rural and urban areas and create awareness among parents about pneumonia prevention and early treatment.

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Pradeep Vennelakanti

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