Pneumonia kills more children under 5 years of age than any other illness in every region of the world. In the European Region, WHO estimates that bacterial pneumonia - caused by Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) and Streptococcus pneumoniae - leads to about 19 500 deaths each year.

"Although mortality from bacterial pneumonia is lower in Europe than in other regions, the fact that 99% of these deaths occur in a handful of countries is of great concern. Ensuring that children are well nourished, do not live in poverty and have access to health care is essential in tackling childhood pneumonia," says Dr Rebecca Martin, Epidemiologist, Communicable Diseases at the WHO Regional Office for Europe.

Today, on the first World Pneumonia Day, WHO and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) release the Global Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Pneumonia (GAPP)…