NEWS

Karnataka government launched ‘Social Awareness and Action to Neutralise Pneumonia Successfully’ (SAANS), a campaign to ensure greater awareness and early detection of pneumonia in children under five

DETAILS

Launched by union government in Gujarat in 2018

AIMS:

• To reduce child mortality due to pneumonia, which contributes to around 15% of deaths of children under the age of five annually
• To mobilise people to protect children from pneumonia, and train health personnel and other stakeholders to provide prioritised treatment to control the disease

KEY FEATURES OF THE PROGRAMME

• A child suffering from pneumonia will be treated with a pre-referral dose of antibiotic amoxicillinby Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers.
• Pulse Oximeter (device to monitor oxygen saturation) will be used at the Health and Wellness Centre for identification of low oxygen levels in the blood of child and if required, the child can be treated by the use of oxygen cylinders.
• A mass awareness campaign will be launched about the effective solutions for pneumonia prevention like breastfeeding, age-appropriate complementary feeding and immunization etc.