Pneumonia death rate higher in rural Goa

Panaji: Pneumonia has consistently been claiming nearly 400 lives every year and the government data of medically certified death cases of the disease has revealed that the pneumonia death rate was higher in rural areas of the state.

According to the World Health Organisation, ‘pneumonia is a form of acute respiratory infection that affects the lungs. The lungs are made up of small sacs called alveoli, which fill with air when a healthy person breathes. When an individual has pneumonia, the alveoli are filled with pus and fluid, which makes breathing painful and limits oxygen intake’.

As per the official figures of Goa government, out of the total 354 pneumonia deaths reported in 2018, 251 were from rural areas while 103 deaths were from urban areas of the state. The trend was similar in the year 2017 and 2016.

In the year 2017, out of the 400 death cases, 306 were from rural areas and the remaining 94 were from urban areas; in 2016, of the 382 death cases around 279 pneumonia deaths reported were from rural areas while only 103 deaths were from urban areas.

However, the available data doesn’t specify the types of pneumonia that led to the cause of death.

Speaking to ‘The Navhind Times’, Associate Professor at the Chest Disease and TB Hospital, St Inez,  Dr Uday Kakodkar said that major cause of death could be ‘bacterial’ pneumonia in Goa than that of viral or any other pneumonia.

He said that lack of awareness and delay in treatment are the major factors that put people in rural areas at the risk of developing not only pneumonia but also other diseases.

“People in rural areas mostly neglect health problems. The problem is compounded by their reluctance to seek medical aid,” Dr Kakodkar said

 “The delay in treatment is likely to cause the pneumonia to progress and worsen and if the patient receives the treatment little late, it will not have the same effect and it will be difficult for the patient to recover from the disease,” he explained.

Dr Kakodkar said that for bacterial pneumonia, treatment is started at the very first hour after admitting the patient and subsequently medical tests are conducted to identify the bacteria. 

“Whenever a patient comes from home, with the studies we know which are the likely bacteria and immediately start the treatment and simultaneously we conduct all required laboratory tests to identify the bacterial and viral pneumonia. There is no specific treatment unless we identify the virus,” he said.

Dr Kakodkar said that patients can also develop pneumonia even while in the hospitals including those on the ventilators, adding, the germs in the hospital, particularly in the Intensive Care Unit, can cause pneumonia.

Explaining the importance of ventilators for pneumonia patients, Dr Kakodkar said, “A ventilator acts as an artificial lung which helps the patient to breathe when lungs are failing; during that time doctors get time to identify the cause and treat accordingly.” He further said that not all pneumonia patients are required to be put on ventilator, adding, patients who are in critical condition require ventilator support.

“Person with better and strong immunity is less prone to develop an infection; elderly persons die due to pneumonia as their immunity comes down with age,” Dr Kakodkar said.

He further said that people having diabetes and liver and kidney diseases are more likely to have severe pneumonia and they are more likely to die from the disease.

Dr Kakodkar said that regular exercise, proper diet, maintaining personal hygiene and seeking timely medical attention for health problems is the best way to prevent any disease.