GUWAHATI, Sept 8 - Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) as a medical condition is assuming endemic proportions in Assam and other parts of the North East, with the incidence particularly higher among children.
Currently, India has an under-5 mortality rate of 48 per 1,000 live births. CAP contributes to about one-sixth of this mortality. Among adults, individuals lacking in hygiene and underlying lung disease are prone to suffer from CAP.
This was the observation of a continuing medical education (CME) programme organised by GNRC Hospitals here recently. The objective behind the event was to address the disturbing trend.
Over a hundred doctors aspiring to enhance their knowledge about diagnostic and treatment modalities of CAP and evolving trends in causative organisms attended the event. It was addressed by Bhaskar Narayan Choudhury, Fortis Hospital, Kolkata, and Dr Suresh Ramsubban, Dept of Internal Medicine, Apollo Gleneagles, Kolkata.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Nanda Mrinal Bhoot, chief consultant, Dept of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, GNRC, said that CAP is increasingly contributing to the death of individuals in the North East, especially children and senior citizens.
�As medical professionals, we need to be continuously aware of the evolving trends in bacteriological profile, mortality trends and developments in the field of medical science for the treatment of CAP, not only to educate ourselves but also to translate into better patient care in the long run and facilitate health for all,� Dr Bhoot said.
Pneumonia is an acute respiratory or lung infection condition caused by different micro-organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. Pneumococcal diseases are primarily caused by streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria and might culminate in blood infection, sepsis, middle-ear infection or bacterial meningitis. Indicative symptoms of the disease include high fever, cough, chest pain, perspiration, chill, wheezing and respiratory distress.
Dr Bhoot emphasised the importance of addressing the growing burden of communicable diseases such as CAP and other health conditions.
According to the Draft National Health Policy 2015, communicable diseases contribute to 24.4 per cent of the entire disease burden.
