Peru, Increased Cold, More Deaths Due to Pneumonia

According to Peru21.pe pneumonia and respiratory infection cases are on the rise for young children in Peru. Unlike previous years, the jungle regions are more affected than the south. The director of epidemiology for the Ministry of Health says that in Loreto 22 deaths of children under the age of five were recorded in 2011. Other regions like Junin, Huanuco and Amazonas have recorded high mortality rates from pneumonia health officials add. Furthermore, Ucayali, Loreto, Pasco, and Madre de Dios departments have the highest rates of pneumonia, 112-181 episodes of the illness per 10,000 children under the age of five says ministry officials. The ministry has launched a vaccination against pneumonia in the jungle regions to immunize children less than five years. Officials say that the combination of heat, rain, and low temperatures are the cause of the increased cases of pneumonia.Read Article