Pediatric Pulmonology 49:S1 (2014)
Foreword
Foreword: Child Lung Health—A Global Priority
Respiratory disease is the major cause of childhood mortality and morbidity worldwide. The spectrum of disease ranges from infectious diseases like pneumonia, bronchiolitis, and tuberculosis to non-communicable diseases like asthma and chronic respiratory illnesses. The overwhelming burden of childhood respiratory disease and associated deaths occur in low and middle-income countries, where appropriate resources to prevent, diagnose and manage such diseases are often unavailable. In the last decade there have been encouraging advances in reducing childhood mortality and achieving the Millennium Development Goal 4 (which aims for a two thirds reduction in under-5 mortality by 2015 from mortality levels in 1990). Nevertheless, 6.5 million children still die each year before their fifth birthday, with approximately 20% of deaths due to pneumonia. Other associated respiratory causes of death such as pertussis, neonatal respiratory diseases and HIV-associated lung disease further contribute to mortality. Recent data suggest that nearly 1 million children acquire tuberculosis annually. Further, even in high income countries, where such infections have been effectively prevented and reduced, childhood respiratory diseases are a major cause for health care utilization and of chronic illness. As childhood mortality declines, so there is an emerging global focus on non-communicable diseases and morbidity. Importantly asthma is the commonest non communicable disease in children and adolescents globally. The International Congress on Pediatric Pulmonology (CIPP) represents the main global meeting devoted solely
to child lung health. It is therefore fitting that the abstracts for the 13th International Congress on Pediatric Pulmonology (CIPP XIII) are presented in this edition of Pediatric Pulmonology that has now expanded its focus to include global child lung health issues. These abstracts will be presented at the congress from June 26 to 29, 2014 in Bruges, Belgium. Reflecting the content of this global congress, the abstracts cover diverse areas of child lung health including physiology, neonatology, clinical science and laboratory based studies of childhood respiratory diseases from investigators around the world. The abstracts also reflect the divergent state of child health in high and low or middle income countries with unique challenges in different settings. Child lung health remains an urgent and pressing priority globally. These abstracts and the conference offer the opportunity for considering child lung health in its global context, to further develop collaborations and to become stronger advocates within our own health systems to ensure that such global inequities are voiced and addressed. We have much work to do to advance child lung health globally and much to learn from each other, and CIPP can provide an excellent framework in which to do this. —HEATHER ZAR President CIPP XIII PETR POHUNEK Chair, Science committee CIPP XIII
DOI 10.1002/ppul.23069 Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com).
ß 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Foreword
Foreword: Child Lung Health—A Global Priority
Respiratory disease is the major cause of childhood mortality and morbidity worldwide. The spectrum of disease ranges from infectious diseases like pneumonia, bronchiolitis, and tuberculosis to non-communicable diseases like asthma and chronic respiratory illnesses. The overwhelming burden of childhood respiratory disease and associated deaths occur in low and middle-income countries, where appropriate resources to prevent, diagnose and manage such diseases are often unavailable. In the last decade there have been encouraging advances in reducing childhood mortality and achieving the Millennium Development Goal 4 (which aims for a two thirds reduction in under-5 mortality by 2015 from mortality levels in 1990). Nevertheless, 6.5 million children still die each year before their fifth birthday, with approximately 20% of deaths due to pneumonia. Other associated respiratory causes of death such as pertussis, neonatal respiratory diseases and HIV-associated lung disease further contribute to mortality. Recent data suggest that nearly 1 million children acquire tuberculosis annually. Further, even in high income countries, where such infections have been effectively prevented and reduced, childhood respiratory diseases are a major cause for health care utilization and of chronic illness. As childhood mortality declines, so there is an emerging global focus on non-communicable diseases and morbidity. Importantly asthma is the commonest non communicable disease in children and adolescents globally. The International Congress on Pediatric Pulmonology (CIPP) represents the main global meeting devoted solely
to child lung health. It is therefore fitting that the abstracts for the 13th International Congress on Pediatric Pulmonology (CIPP XIII) are presented in this edition of Pediatric Pulmonology that has now expanded its focus to include global child lung health issues. These abstracts will be presented at the congress from June 26 to 29, 2014 in Bruges, Belgium. Reflecting the content of this global congress, the abstracts cover diverse areas of child lung health including physiology, neonatology, clinical science and laboratory based studies of childhood respiratory diseases from investigators around the world. The abstracts also reflect the divergent state of child health in high and low or middle income countries with unique challenges in different settings. Child lung health remains an urgent and pressing priority globally. These abstracts and the conference offer the opportunity for considering child lung health in its global context, to further develop collaborations and to become stronger advocates within our own health systems to ensure that such global inequities are voiced and addressed. We have much work to do to advance child lung health globally and much to learn from each other, and CIPP can provide an excellent framework in which to do this. —HEATHER ZAR President CIPP XIII PETR POHUNEK Chair, Science committee CIPP XIII
DOI 10.1002/ppul.23069 Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com).
ß 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
