Pneumonia In Children Under Five At The Greater Accra Regional Hospital: 2016-2020

Abstract

Pneumonia continues to be a leading cause of severe morbidity and mortality among children under five globally. It is the third cause of death among children under five in Ghana despite effective ways of preventing this disease. This study assessed the trend of pneumonia among children under five at the Greater Accra Regional hospital between the years 2016-2020. Electronic hospital records of children under 5 who reported to the Greater Accra Regional Hospital with pneumonia was retrieved. The data was transferred from Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to STATA version 16, analysed in terms of time, age, place, gender, immunization status, and clinical outcomes of the disease, using time series to determine the trend. 1901 confirmed cases of pneumonia in children under five years reported from 2016 to 2020.There was a consistent comparatively reduced number of pneumonia cases over the first 4years (from 487 to 282) and a rise to 472 in 2020 in children aged especially less than 2years with males demonstrating an increased pneumonia risk, probably due to the emergence of COVID-19. Children living in peri-urban areas were more affected than those in urban areas. There was a decline in pneumonia mortality from 2016 to 2018 with a slight peak in 2019 and subsequent decline in 2020 as well as a statistically significant association between one’s age, place of residence, immunization status and developing pneumonia in under-fives with complete immunization reducing the risk for severe pneumonia. There is the need to intensify health education on immunization, enforce environmental health policies and modify healthcare practice in relation to pneumonia.