[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 162 (Tuesday, November 3, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H12254-H12256]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          WORLD PNEUMONIA DAY

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 863) recognizing the scourge of pneumonia, urging 
the United States and the world to mobilize cooperation and prioritize 
resources to fight pneumonia and save children's lives, and recognizing 
November 2 as World Pneumonia Day, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 863

       Whereas pneumonia kills an estimated 4,000,000 people every 
     year, according to the World Health Organization and UNICEF;
       Whereas more than 150,000,000 episodes of pneumonia occur 
     every year among children under the age of five in developing 
     countries, accounting for more than 95 percent of all new 
     cases worldwide;
       Whereas of the 8,800,000 children under the age of five who 
     die every year, up to 2,000,000 die from pneumonia;
       Whereas pneumonia kills 1 child every 15 seconds;
       Whereas pneumonia kills more children than any other 
     illness;
       Whereas an estimated 26 percent of neonatal deaths within 
     the first month after birth are caused by severe infections, 
     including pneumonia;
       Whereas these deaths occur primarily in the world's poorest 
     countries;
       Whereas for every child who dies of pneumonia in an 
     industrialized country, more than 2,000 children die of 
     pneumonia in poor countries;
       Whereas pneumonia is a preventable and treatable problem;
       Whereas more than 1,000,000 lives could be saved each year 
     through pneumonia prevention and treatment;
       Whereas many childhood pneumonia deaths can be prevented 
     with early diagnosis;
       Whereas immunizing children against measles, whooping 
     cough, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), and pneumococcus 
     could cut the rate of severe pneumonia in half;
       Whereas studies indicate that in developing countries, only 
     one in four caregivers know the two key symptoms of 
     pneumonia, fast and difficult breathing, which indicate that 
     a child should be treated immediately;
       Whereas fewer than \1/3\ of children suffering from 
     pneumonia in the developing world receive antibiotics which 
     are available for less than $1;
       Whereas health professionals agree that prevention and 
     treatment of pneumonia must be a priority in broader, 
     coordinated child survival strategies;
       Whereas in the context of child survival strategies, 
     pneumonia control requires a three-prong program of 
     protection, prevention, and treatment;
       Whereas preventing and treating childhood pneumonia is 
     critical to reducing the mortality rate of children under the 
     age of five; and
       Whereas World Pneumonia Day is recognized on November 2 
     annually: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) affirms its commitment to child survival and 
     development programs that focus on protection, prevention, 
     and treatment of pneumonia;
       (2) salutes the health professionals and community health 
     workers who are on the front lines in the world's poorest 
     countries, extending preventative care and treatment to 
     children most at risk of contracting pneumonia;
       (3) reaffirms the United States commitment to reducing 
     child mortality; and
       (4) recognizes World Pneumonia Day.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Engel) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  The United States has repeatedly affirmed its commitment to reducing 
child mortality. We have endorsed the U.N. Millennium Development 
Goals, one of which is to reduce by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015 
the under 5 mortality rate.
  We know about the scourge of hunger and the disastrous impacts of 
diseases like AIDS, malaria, and measles on children around the world. 
But many people are not aware of that more children die of pneumonia 
than anything else. Every 15 seconds, a child dies from pneumonia, 
about 2 million children each year.
  It is estimated that more than 150 million episodes of pneumonia 
occur every year among children under the age of 5 in developing 
countries, accounting for more than 95 percent of all new cases 
worldwide. Yet pneumonia is preventable; it is a treatable illness. A 
life can be saved with antibiotics that cost less than a dollar. It is 
really outrageous that we have the ability to save lives and we don't 
because the money is not used for it.
  Sadly, according to UNICEF, fewer than 20 percent of children 
suffering from pneumonia receive these antibiotics which they so 
desperately need. Despite the fact that pneumonia kills more children 
under 5 than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined, it has received far 
less attention and funding than any of them.
  Pneumonia can be treated if recognized and diagnosed early. Yet fewer 
than 25 percent of caregivers in the developing world are trained to 
identify the two telltale symptoms of pneumonia: fast and difficult 
breathing.
  To raise awareness of these distressing statistics and to build 
support for addressing the problem, World Pneumonia Day is recognized 
annually on November 2. That was yesterday. And yesterday, 
organizations and countries across the globe joined forces in support 
of the first-ever World Pneumonia Day.
  I am proud to report in New York City where I live, more than 100 
leaders

[[Page H12255]]

in science, politics, and global health, including the Earth Institute 
of Columbia University, convened a Global Pneumonia Summit.
  The resolution before us, H. Res. 863, reaffirms our commitment into 
national child survival and development programs that focus on 
protection, prevention, and treatment of pneumonia.
  I commend the distinguished gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Shea-
Porter) for introducing this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to 
support it.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise in support of this resolution. Pneumonia is the leading cause 
of death among children worldwide. In fact, the World Health 
Organization estimates that pneumonia kills approximately 1.8 million 
children every year under the age of 5. Most of those deaths occur in 
impoverished areas of countries in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa 
and South Asia, where infants are particularly vulnerable.
  Ironically, despite its tremendous negative impact on child survival, 
pneumonia is actually a preventable and treatable illness. It is a 
tragedy that a treatable disease still causes so much pain and 
suffering around the world. It also is an illness that does not receive 
enough attention, despite the fact that among children, it can be 
addressed quite impressibly through prevention and low-cost medical 
approaches.
  In developing countries, for example, only one in five caregivers 
know how to recognize the key symptoms of the onset of pneumonia. As a 
result, half the children who are infected with pneumonia quite simply 
do not receive timely or adequate medical treatment and care. It is, 
therefore, possible to increase the rates of child survival by 
educating caregivers on the key symptoms of pneumonia and by broadening 
children's access to inexpensive antibiotics, among other things.
  The World Health Organization reports that the number of lives saved 
could be more than doubled if such prevention and treatment 
interventions were universally delivered.
  Mr. Speaker, reducing the occurrence of pneumonia is a critical step 
towards reducing child mortality. This resolution reaffirms our 
commitment to child survival through prevention and treatment of 
childhood pneumonia.
  Finally, this resolution also commends those health care 
professionals who are serving on the front lines of this illness and 
recognizes November 2 as World Pneumonia Day.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New 
Hampshire (Ms. Shea-Porter).
  Ms. SHEA-PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Berman 
and Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen and their staffs for their support and 
work on this resolution. It is important for the House of 
Representatives to recognize the devastating toll that pneumonia takes 
on children around the world, and I am proud that we are considering 
this resolution today.
  Yesterday marked the first annual World Pneumonia Day. Almost 100 
global health organizations joined together to bring awareness to this 
terrible disease. The world's leading killer of children, pneumonia, is 
undernoticed, underfunded, and undertreated. This disease kills 4 
million people each year, 2 million of them children. It takes the 
lives of more children under the age of 5 than measles, AIDS, and 
malaria combined. Every 15 seconds, a child dies of pneumonia.
  The horror of this disease is that it is so preventable and 
treatable. Consider these facts:
  Studies in developing countries indicate that only one in four 
caregivers know the two key symptoms of pneumonia: fast and difficult 
breathing. This leads to pneumonia going untreated, which is deadly;
  Fewer than one-third of the children who develop pneumonia receive 
the antibiotics they need to fight the illness, even though the 
antibiotics are available for less than a dollar. Half of the cases of 
pneumonia that occur could be prevented by ensuring that these children 
have access to the vaccines they need.
  Mr. Speaker, these facts paint a bleak picture. Millions of lives are 
being lost each year when they could be saved. They could be saved by 
international cooperation to educate and train caregivers. They could 
be saved if people could have access to the vaccines and medications 
they need.
  My resolution affirms this body's commitment to saving these lives by 
supporting programs that focus on the protection, prevention, and 
treatment of pneumonia. It commends the health professionals across the 
globe who every day work in the world's poorest countries to treat and 
care for the victims of pneumonia. And it reaffirms the United States' 
commitment to reducing child mortality. Finally, this resolution 
recognizes World Pneumonia Day. In doing so, the House of 
Representatives joins with dozens of global health organizations 
working to raise the awareness of this disease and to focus resources 
on protection, prevention, and treatment.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to encourage international 
cooperation to combat this disease. Lives can and should be saved. I 
urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today in 
support of H. Res. 863, ``Recognizing the scourge of pneumonia, urging 
the United States and the world to mobilize cooperation and prioritize 
resources to fight pneumonia and save children's lives, and recognizing 
November 2 as World Pneumonia Day''. I would like to thank my 
colleague, Representative Shea-Porter, for introducing this resolution, 
as well as the co-sponsors.
  As co-chair of the Congressional Children's Caucas, this legislation 
is very important to me. Pneumonia kills an estimated 4,000,000 people 
every year--one child every 15 seconds. According to the World Health 
Organization and UNICEF, more children die of pneumonia more than any 
other illness, burying more each year than AIDS, malaria, and measles 
combined. More than 15,000,000 episodes of pneumonia occur every year 
among children under the age of five in developing countries, 
accounting for more than 95 percent of all new cases worldwide. Of the 
8,800,000 children under the age of five who die every year, up to 
2,000,000 die from pneumonia.
  An estimated 26 percent of neonatal deaths within the first month 
after birth are caused by severe infections, including pneumonia; these 
deaths occur primarily in the world's poorest countries. For every 
child who dies of pneumonia in an industrialized country, more than 
2,000 children die of pneumonia in poor countries.
  Pneumonia is a preventable and treatable problem; more than 1,000,000 
lives could be saved each year through prevention and treatment, and 
many childhood pneumonia deaths can be prevented with early diagnosis. 
Immunizing children against measles, whooping cough, Haemophilus 
influenzae type b (Hib), and pneumococcus could cut the rate of severe 
pneumonia in half. In developing countries, studies indicate that only 
one in four caregivers know the two key symptoms of pneumonia, fast and 
difficult breathing, which indicate that a child should be treated 
immediately.
  Despite all that can be done to prevent the disease, less than one-
third of children suffering from pneumonia in the developing world 
receive antibiotics available for less than $1. Health professionals 
agree that prevention and treatment of pneumonia must be a priority in 
broader, coordinated child survival strategies, requiring a three-
pronged program of protection, prevention, and treatment.
  The Millennium Development Goals--which the United States, in its 
wisdom, has pledged to support--call on us to continue our efforts to 
prevent and treat childhood pneumonia, and to reduce by two-thirds, 
between 1990 and 2015, the mortality rate of children under the age of 
five. That is why I join this esteemed body in affirming its commitment 
to international child survival and development programs that 
prioritize protection, prevention, and treatment against pneumonia; as 
well as reaffirming the United States' commitment to reaching the 
Millennium Development Goals, particularly for reducing child 
mortality.
  It is also why I join the House in saluting the health professionals 
and community health workers on the front lines in the world's poorest 
countries who are extending preventative care and treatment to children 
most at risk of contracting pneumonia. And it is why, with this 
resolution, we recognize World Pneumonia Day.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr.

[[Page H12256]]

Engel) that the House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. 
Res. 863, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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