Pneumonia is the infection of the lungs which leads to inflammation in the lung tissue. This infection of the lungs can be caused by viruses, bacteria’s, etc. Children are more vulnerable to this infection and can be life threatening if not treated early. Common symptoms are fever, cough, fast breathing, difficulty in breathing, pulling in of the chest wall during breathing, noisy breathing, grunting, etc. Some of the DO’s and DON’Ts which we should follow if our children are diagnosed to have pneumonia are :

DO’s for you if your child is suffering from Pneumonia:

• Visit your doctor at the earliest.
• Give treatment on time as advised
• Keep your child warm
• Wash your hands before and after touching the child
• Continue breastfeeding
• Give regular meals to the child
• Keep the child well hydrated
• Look for danger signs like lethargy, bluish discolouration, no oral intake, dehydration, severe breathing difficulty, etc.
• Report to the hospital at the earliest
• Avoid direct contact with other children if possible.
• Ask your doctor to vaccinate the child with available vaccines.

DON’Ts for you if your child is suffering from Pneumonia

• Don’t panic
• Don’t self medicate.
• Don’t ignore the danger signs.
• Don’t touch the child with contaminated hands
• Don’t stop feeding
• Don’t let the child be in cold weather for long
• Don’t skip immunisation

It is important for you to know that Pneumonia is the biggest baby killer. Infact according to studies, it mainly affects babies that are less than 5 years old. This silent killer masks itself as common cough and cold causing severe pulmonary distress and death. If your child is wheezing and is experiencing difficulty while breathing, it is best recommended that you consult a paediatrician or neonatologist at the earliest. Please be open to hospitalisation or serious medical treatment.