A dozen of children aged between six months and four years lost their lives as pneumonia surged in the Shura village of Nusi district, northeastern province of Badakhshan, according to a report on Friday, December 28. The heavy snowfall has formerly gridlocked the many roads leading to the affected district, intervening with immediate dispatch of medical aid, fearing another 350 children at higher risk of dying.

Afghanistan is one of the worst places in the world to be a child. The statistics are horrifying; one in four children dies before the age of five. There are manifold cases that undergo unreported on day to day basis. The tragedy is that it is easy to alter, but not enough is being done.

Each year, pneumonia takes the life of two million children worldwide before they reach their fifth birthday. Pneumonia also identified as "forgotten killer" is an acute lower respiratory infection and inflammation of the lungs that can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or fungi. Children with pneumonia may experience a number of symptoms, including rapid or difficult breathing, cough, fever, chill, loss of appetite and wheezing.

Children with weakened immune systems are most at risk particularly for malnourished children and those who are not exclusively breastfed to six months. Symptomatic HIV infection and vaccine-preventable illnesses such as measles increase a child's risk of infection.

Crowded living situations and indoor air pollution caused by cooking and heating with wood or dung also contribute to susceptibility for pneumonia. The cold wet climate, together with smoke from household stoves, increases the risk of pneumonia, particularly among babies and children. Pneumonia is treated with low cost antibiotics and good case management assessment and treatment by a skilled health worker. The tragedy is that pneumonia can easily be treated,

yet 80% of population in Afghanistan are living in remote under-served rural areas don't have access to quality health services and facilities with appropriate antibiotics. Typically it is the large number of poorest children in the poorest rural communities who are at greatest risk from dying of pneumonia.

The governmental and non-governmental organizations should contribute raising awareness and allocate more funds to health-care sectors. Advocacy is proven and inexpensive community base methods to be used by government agencies to reach children in remoter and underserved areas might help to detect and treat the infection in time. Prior to life loses furthers, this communicable diseases should be combated by urgent allocation of money and resources.