Michael J. Klag, MD, MPH, dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is encouraging his fellow deans and other leaders in public health and medicine to join in the fight against pneumonia. In a letter to colleagues, Klag calls for action to fight childhood pneumonia by joining the Global Coalition Against Pneumonia at www.WorldPneumoniaDay.org and to participate in the first annual World Pneumonia Day to be held November 2, 2009.
Worldwide pneumonia claims a child’s life every 15 seconds—more than 2 million children each year. Despite the deadly toll, pneumonia remains a neglected disease.
“More than ever before, we know how to protect and prevent children from catching pneumonia, and how to treat those suffering from it. Yet, we are failing to deliver life-saving interventions to millions of children, especially in developing countries,” writes Klag. “Your voice will be an important part of our efforts to convince policymakers, the media and members of the public that now is the time to take action to stop childhood pneumonia.”
The full text of the letter is available here.
