Pneumonia kills an average of 73 children a day in Bangladesh, 26,766 a year

Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death among children under five in Bangladesh. An average of 73 children die of pneumonia in the country every day, which amounts to 26,766 children a year.

The figures come from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) and research by Bangladesh Medical University.

Today, Thursday (12 November), is World Pneumonia Day. This year's theme is 'A New Era of Pneumonia Control'.

Experts say the prevalence of pneumonia and the death rate among children have risen this year. In particular, many children infected with measles have died of pneumonia.

Experts said children suffering from malnutrition and air pollution, and babies born with low weight, face a higher risk of the disease. Feeding a child only breast milk for the first six months reduces the risk of pneumonia by 23 percent.

According to Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute, 79,884 children received pneumonia treatment at the hospital's outpatient department up to 10 November this year, and 2,298 children were admitted for treatment.

During that period, 91 children died of pneumonia along with other complications, including 25 children in just the first 10 days of November.

In 2025, 77,086 children received treatment at the hospital's outpatient department and 2,631 were admitted. In 2024, 73,512 children were treated at the outpatient department and 4,260 were admitted.

Dr Md Kamruzzaman, associate professor in the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute, said pneumonia is an inflammatory disease of the lungs that can be caused by viruses, bacteria and fungi. Cough, cold, breathing difficulty, movement of the lower chest and rattling sounds inside the chest are notable symptoms.

Dr Kamruzzaman said a child must be taken to hospital quickly if breathing increases, the child cannot eat, vomits after eating, has convulsions with fever, or becomes limp.

Child specialist Professor Dr Atikul Islam Chowdhury said government pneumococcus vaccination has made it possible to prevent pneumonia to some extent. But measles has increased pneumonia cases and deaths this year, prevalence rises during seasonal change, and viral pneumonia is seen more in winter.