Pneumonia study begins

12 September 2011 - 02:34 By Times LIVE
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The University of the Witwatersrand has partnered up with six research institutions in Africa and Asia to conduct a study on pneumonia, the world's biggest killer of young children.

The study, co-ordinated by the International Vaccine Access Centre at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, will look at current and future causes of childhood pneumonia in some of the hardest-hit populations.

The study, funded by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is being conducted in Bangladesh, Gambia, Kenya, Mali, South Africa, Thailand and Zambia. The study is expected to help inform global efforts in the fight against the pandemic.

Globally, pneumonia kills more children under five years old than HIV and malaria combined.

Pneumonia remains a leading infectious cause of childhood mortality in South Africa.

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