India had the second-highest number of deaths of children nunder the age of five in 2018 due to pneumonia, a curable and preventable disease that claimed the life of one child every 39 seconds globally, according to a new report by the UN.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said that globally, pneumonia claimed the lives of more than 800,000 children under theage of five last year - or one child every 39 seconds. Most deaths occurredamong children under the age of two, and almost 153,000 within the first monthof life.The report said just five countries were responsible for more than halfof child pneumonia deaths: Nigeria (162,000), India (127,000), Pakistan(58,000), the Democratic Republic of Congo (40,000) and Ethiopia (32,000).

This "forgotten epidemic" is now responsible for15 per cent of deaths in children under the age of five, and yet, just threeper cent of global infectious disease research spending is allocated to thedisease, the UN agency said.

In addition, the strong link between child pneumonia deathsand poverty is undeniable. Lack of access to drinking water, inadequate healthcare, and the burden of undernutrition and indoor air pollution are majordrivers of vulnerability to the disease. Around half of all pneumonia-relateddeaths are associated with air pollution

Sounding the alarm about this forgotten epidemic, the UNICEFand other health and children's organisations launched an appeal for globalaction and will in January host world leaders at the Global Forum on ChildhoodPneumonia in Spain."Every day, nearly 2,200 children under the age of fivedie from pneumonia, a curable and mostly preventable disease. Strong globalcommitment and increased investments are critical to the fight against thisdisease. Only through cost-effective protective, preventative and treatmentinterventions delivered to where children are will we be able to truly savemillions of lives," UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said.

Pneumonia is caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi, andleaves children fighting for breath as their lungs fill with pus and fluid.More children under the age of five died from the disease in 2018 than from anyother. About 437,000 children under five died due to diarrhoea and 272,000 dueto malaria.The UN agency said that the children whose immune systems isweakened by other infections like HIV or by malnutrition, and those living inareas with high levels of air pollution and unsafe water, are at far greaterrisk.

While the disease can be prevented with vaccines, and easilytreated with low-cost antibiotics if properly diagnosed, yet tens of millionsof children are still going unvaccinated – and one in three with symptoms donot receive essential medical care.The report also expressed concern thatchildren with severe cases of pneumonia may require oxygen treatment, which israrely available in the poorest countries to the children who need it.

Only "cost-effective, protective, preventativetreatment" which are able to reach children where they are "will beable to truly save millions of lives," Fore said.

Vaccine coverage in low-income countries is now higher thanthe global average, CEO of the Vaccine Alliance Seth Berkley said, however,"the fact that this preventable, treatable and easily diagnoseddisease" is the world's biggest killer of youth, "is frankly quiteshocking.""We still have work to do to ensure every child has accessto this lifesaver," he added.

The organisations are urging governments in theworst-affected countries to develop and implement pneumonia control andprevention strategies and call on richer nations and donors to boostimmunisation coverage by lowering the cost of key vaccines.

An estimated 18 million more health workers are needed by2030 to prevent, diagnose and treat pneumonia as well as to reach theSustainable Development Goals targets for Universal Health Coverage.