Dr. Muhammad Mahtab Hossain Mazed

A 'mysterious' pneumonia outbreak has emerged in northern China before the Covid-19 pandemic has fully recovered. Children are especially affected by this disease. Hospitals in Beijing are struggling to cope with the influx of sick children. Which has folded the foreheads of the world's health experts.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has formally requested detailed information from the government on the rise of respiratory diseases in China and outbreaks of a new type of flu-like pneumonia among children.

In a statement, the WHO said, Chinese authorities from the National Health Commission of China said in a press conference on November 13 that the incidence of respiratory diseases in the country has increased.

They cite the lifting of Covid restrictions and the spread of influenza, Mycoplasma pneumoniae (a bacterial infection that mainly affects young children) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections, along with the virus that causes Covid.

A new type of 'mysterious' flu-like pneumonia has been reported among children in northern China, the BBC reported. It is said in the media that the hospitals there are full of infected children.

But the WHO office in China said it was a 'routine' task.

WHO says there have been reports of an increase in "influenza-like diseases" in northern China since October. Usually, this time in China is a natural time for influenza or cold outbreaks due to seasonal changes. But this time the disease is appearing more and more as it was not seen even in October-November of the last three years.

The incidence of this disease increases especially in children and the elderly during winter. The day is very important to create widespread awareness among the people in order to save billions of people from this complex disease of the respiratory system. Worldwide, about 450 million people are affected by pneumonia every year. According to ICDDR-B, nearly 500,000 children under the age of five died worldwide in 2022. 14 percent of these were deaths from pneumonia. At the same time, about 100,000 children under the age of five died in Bangladesh. About 24 thousand or 24 percent of them died of pneumonia. It is seen that the death rate of pneumonia in Bangladesh is higher than the global rate. The situation has not improved in the last four-five years.

In Bangladesh, 25 thousand children die of pneumonia every year. And the prevalence of pneumonia is high in developing countries. Children under the age of five and the elderly are most affected by pneumonia, and children die most. Comparatively, men are affected more than women. Pneumonia is a complicated disease caused by inflammation of the lungs or respiratory system. Infection of the lung parenchyma or air sac with germs such as bacteria, virus etc. causes chest pain, shortness of breath, cough, which is known as pneumonia. It is a very common and ancient lung disease. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, described this disease two and a half thousand years ago. In the case of children, there are some differences in pathogens according to age. Chronic cold, chest mucus accumulation should be followed by pneumonia. Sudden heat after monsoon increases the prevalence of this disease. Not everyone will get pneumonia when they catch a cold, but those with low immunity, mainly the elderly and children, are more affected by this disease. According to them, the primary symptom of pneumonia is high fever.

Even if the medicine reduces the fever, the fever suddenly increases when the effect of the medicine stops. Fever can rise to 103-104 degrees. Along with this there is shortness of breath, chest pain etc. Sometimes headache, gradual weakness, reluctance to eat and drink are also symptoms of pneumonia. However, by touching a patient with pneumonia, the germs of pneumonia do not spread in the body. But it can spread from the cough or sneeze of the victim.

However, there are several differences between pneumonia and cold-fever. It is easy to diagnose the disease if you pay a little attention. According to the doctor, initially this disease starts with simple fever-cold-cough, but it can be seen that with time the fever, shortness of breath is increasing and the cough is also increasing. Sometimes the fever comes back even after taking a strong dose of fever medicine. If the condition is serious, blood may come up with the cough. If these symptoms appear, you should go to the doctor without delay. Only a doctor can tell if a person is suffering from pneumonia. However, to be sure, some tests should be done.

> Symptoms of Pneumonia:-
fever; It is usually high. Also cough, rapid breathing, wheezing, shortness of breath or labored breathing, chest tightness, chest pain, not wanting or being able to eat, lethargy or lethargy in the baby. , to vomitA child with pneumonia has rapid breathing. Babies under two months of age may breathe 60 times a minute or more. A child with pneumonia between the ages of two months and 12 months breathes 50 breaths or more per minute, and a one-year-old child breathes 40 breaths or more per minute. Chest cage can be given with rapid breathing.

If these symptoms appear, the doctor should be seen immediately. Remember that the cause of death in children with pneumonia is delayed treatment. The incidence of pneumonia is high in winter. So don't delay if the above symptoms appear in winterPneumonia is a serious disease but it is preventable. Breastfeeding babies exclusively for six months reduces the risk of pneumonia. Do not feed the baby cotter milk. Children who are fed colostrum are four times more likely to develop the disease than others. Child malnutrition causes pneumonia. Therefore, child nutrition should be ensured. In winter, healthy children should not be allowed to visit children with pneumonia. Do not allow children to go in front of people with sneezing and coughing. Maintain cleanliness. That is, washing hands and face with soap after coming from outside. Do not allow the child to go in the crowd i.e. in large gatherings.

> Causes of pneumonia in children:-

Pneumonia can be caused by a variety of pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites—the most common causes of pneumonia are adenoviruses, rhinoviruses, influenza viruses, respiratory syncytial viruses, and parainfluenza viruses.
May vary by age. That is, respiratory viral pneumonia, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae are more common in children under five years of age. Mycoplasma pneumonia is most common in children between 5 and 13 years of ageChildren with bacterial pneumonia usually get sick quickly, and those with viruses develop symptoms more slowly and are less severe.

> Modes of Pneumonia Infection:-
This disease mainly infects the upper respiratory tract. This part of the respiratory system protects the airways and lungs from pathogens. The immune system of the infected upper respiratory tract is reduced. Gradually, the infection spreads from the other side to the lower part of the respiratory tract. The degree of infection of pneumonia depends on the virulence of the pathogen, the immunity of the patient. Droplets of infected fluid are spread into the air from the nose and mouth of an infected patient when they cough and sneeze. If someone else breathes in contaminated air, the infection can spread to their body. For this reason, people suffering from pneumonia are asked to cover their nose and mouth.

> Symptoms of Pneumonia in Children Symptoms in children can be less specific and they may not show obvious signs of chest infection. Some common symptoms of infection in children are –
1. fever 2. Lack of energy. 3. Rapid shallow breathing with loud noises. 4. Difficulty in feeding. 5. Fatigue or shivering.

> Prevention of Pneumonia in Infants The following steps can be taken to reduce the risk of this infection in infants or children -a) Breastfeeding to boost the immunity of the infant b) Provide warm and well ventilated room environment c) Cold, flu or other infections There areAvoid contact with the person and check the child's temperature at least once every morning and evening. If the temperature is higher than 38°C, contact the doctor.

> Some basic suggestions for pneumonia patients:-

* Affected patients should be kept away from smoking. The patient should also be kept away from passive smoking.
* Keep away from any contamination. Smoke, dust, mosquito coils should be removed from the patient's room.
* Dehydration is bad for pneumonia patients. So the patient should eat a lot of water and fluids.
* Do not try to bring down the fever by taking fever reducing medicine frequently but take the medicine according to the doctor's advice.
* The patient should also be kept away from cold weather.
* If you have asthma, follow the restrictions of use as prescribed by an experienced homeopath.
* Patients suffering from heart and liver diseases and diabetics can take homeopathic treatment against pneumonia with doctor's advice.

> Methods of testing for pneumonia
Doctors order certain lab tests to diagnose pneumonia infection and its severity. Eg - Blood culture * Blood count * Chest X-ray * Chest scan * Sputum culture

>Food list for pneumonia patients

A balanced diet is very important to fight pneumonia. The body needs more energy. So what should be eaten is given below –

* Easily digestible carbohydrates, proteins and fats
hot milk
* Coconut water, fresh juice and buttermilk or whey.
* Foods like paneer, dal, lemon.
* Green vegetables.
* Hot soup.
* Probiotic foods like sour yogurt.

> What foods should be avoided?
* Cold drinks * Cold foods * Excess salt in food * Foods with saturated fat and trans fat.

> Homeo Remedies:- The patient is treated not the disease, so an experienced doctor DrAccording to Hahnemann's principles of homeopathy, treatment of any complex and difficult disease including pneumonia can be cured by the grace of God, if the treatment is based on the individual characteristics of the symptoms and the combination of the symptomsAll the medicines which are selected by the experienced doctors in the first instance :- Bryonia, Aconine, Antimonium tartaricum, Epicac, Phosphorus, Sulphur, Pneumococcus, Staphylococcus and many other medicines can come on the symptoms. So consult an experienced homeopath without using the medicine yourself. .

Finally, pneumonia is usually not fatal if special precautions are taken. Children and the elderly need extra care. Pneumonia is more likely in the dry weather of winter. So it is very important to keep the airway moist during this time. It can prevent respiratory tract infectionAnd pneumonia can be easily cured by homeopathy treatment. The main symptom of pneumonia is frequent breathing and difficulty in breathing. In poor third world countries like ours, if one hundred children die, the cause of death is pneumoniaAlong with fever, cough, headache, chest pain, feeling very cold etc. Every parent should treat a child's breathing problem as an emergency. However, the high power, dangerously toxic antibiotics that are fed to children in the allopathic treatment of pneumonia, cause permanent damage to the children's health due to their toxic effects. As a result, some become skeletal for a few years and some for life. So learn about this disease and inform people.

The writer is a, Founder and Chairman, Jatiya Rogi Kallyan Society.