GLOBALLY, pneumonia affects approximately 450 million people a year, especially the elderly and those with comorbidities.
In Malaysia, pneumonia is ranked among the top three diseases that cause death in adults and children under five, and the number of reported pneumonia cases keeps increasing yearly.
Pneumonia is an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs. Pneumococcal pneumonia is a type of pneumonia commonly caused by bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) . It is an infectious, potentially serious bacterial lung disease that people can catch anytime, anywhere. The bacteria can spread from person to person through coughing or close contact.
To mark World Pneumonia Day 2022, Pfizer Malaysia partnered with the Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS) to vaccinate and protect 6,000 children and adults of different backgrounds against pneumococcal disease.
The vaccination drive was led by MRCS and supported by its NGO partners, including BeVital, Community Health Care Clinic, PT Foundation, Volunteer Geriatrician Overseeing Nursing Home (Klang Valley), QFFD Klinik Johor, Ihsan Johor Relief and the National Cancer Society of Malaysia.
"At Pfizer, we recognise the need to address specific healthcare disparities
such as access to vaccines. These 6,000 doses of pneumococcal vaccine that we are disbursing with the valuable help of the Malaysian Red Crescent Society and its NGO partners will go straight to not just children and adults but also to people of different backgrounds who may be otherwise unable to avail of equitable healthcare opportunities,'' says Pfizer Malaysia, Brunei and Pakistan country cluster lead, Luksanawan Thangpaibool.
While Malaysia has been largely successful in rolling out various vaccination programmes, one of the many aims of MRCS is to bring healthcare to every single person in need, says MRCS secretary-general, Hakim Hamzah.
This public-private partnership with Pfizer Malaysia to vaccinate and protect 6,000 children and adults of different backgrounds is aligned with MRCS' aim to provide care and relief assistance to at-risk and vulnerable communities.
"Ensuring vulnerable communities are adequately protected against infectious diseases is a humanitarian imperative, and this initiative meets the MRCS objective of leaving no one behind in all our efforts," says Hakim.
The annual World Pneumonia Day aims to raise awareness about the toll of pneumonia, and to advocate for global action to protect against, help prevent, and effectively treat this infectious disease.