SAANS Campaign

Pneumonia is an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs.
The air sacs may fill with fluid or pus, causing cough with phlegm or pus, fever, chills, and difficulty breathing.
A variety of organisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi, can cause pneumonia.
Pneumonia can range in seriousness from mild to life-threatening.
It is most serious for infants and young children, people older than age 65, and people with health problems or weakened immune systems.
The germs that cause pneumonia are contagious. Both viral and bacterial pneumonia can spread to others through inhalation of airborne droplets from a sneeze or cough. One can contract fungal pneumonia from the environment. However, it doesn’t spread from person to person.
Vaccines are available to prevent some types of pneumonia and the flu.

As per Sample Registration System Report (2010-13) of Registrar General of India, Pneumonia contributes 16.9% of infant deaths and it is the 2nd highest cause of infant mortality.
As per Health Management Information System (HMIS) data, under-five mortality rate in the country is 37 per 1000 live births, of which 5.3 deaths are caused due to pneumonia.
The government aims to achieve a target of reducing pneumonia deaths among children to less than three per 1,000 live births by 2025.

SAANS stands for “Social Awareness and Actions to Neutralize Pneumonia Successfully”. It is an initiative launched in 2019 in order to accelerate actions for reducing deaths due to childhood Pneumonia.
The aim is to mobilise people to protect children from pneumonia, and train health personnel and other stakeholders to provide prioritised treatment to control the disease.
The SAANS initiative encompasses three pronged strategies

Guidelines on treatment and management of childhood Pneumonia including introduction of use of Amoxicillin by Auxiliary nurse midwife(ANM).
Capacity building of service providers for identification and standardized management of Pneumonia.
Communication campaign to ensure greater awareness of childhood Pneumonia among families and parents.

The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare provided details about the SAANS campaign recently.

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