According to the UN, an investment of $39-billion or $12.9 per child is needed for saving 5.2-million lives in developing countries by 2015.

Every year, pneumonia, a lung disease kills 1.8-million children under the age of five, killing more young children than any other disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) and U. N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) say, despite the heavy toll, few resources are used for tackling it.

Together, WHO and UNICEF made a joint appeal for funding a 6-year plan for pneumonia prevention and treatment in 68-developing countries where it is prevalent, like Africa, Asia, including parts of Central and South America.

Calling for strategies, the agencies urged mothers to breast feed babies exclusively for the first 6-months, increase use of vaccines and proper treatment, including asking policymakers to act immediately to implement the plan.

The proposed Global Action Plan calls for:

" Breast-feeding for 6-months, adequate nutrition, low birth weight reduction, reducing indoor air pollution and improving hygiene.

" Children should be prevented from contracting pneumonia by vaccinating against major triggers, including measles, Hib, pneumococcus and rotavirus, prevention and treatment of HIV in children, including providing zinc for children with diarrhoea.

" Children with pneumonia to be treated with antibiotics and proper care in local communities, health centres and hospitals.

The targets set for 2015 include expanding coverage of relevant vaccines, access to proper treatment and exclusive breast-feeding rates to 90%.

Goals if attained would reduce child pneumonia deaths by 65%, including reducing the number of severe pneumonia cases in children by 25%.

A part of routine vaccinations in rich countries, Prevnar, a vaccine manufactured by Wyeth, now owned by U. S. drug giant Pfizer, protects against seven strains of S. pneumonia.

Rwanda was amongst the first developing countries to launch a national pneuomcoccal immunization campaign, with several drug firms like Merck and GlaxoSmithKline making Hib vaccines, provided to 35-African nations by the non-profit Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI).

Streptococcus pneumonia bacteria, is one leading cause of pneumonia and is particularly risky for the elderly, the very young, people with compromised immune systems and those with underlying medical conditions.

According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine offers protection against 23-types of pneumococcal bacteria.

It is necessary for people aged 2 to 64 with the following conditions to get vaccinated, such as, Hodgkin's disease, lymphoma or leukemia, kidney failure, multiple myelomanephrotic syndrome, HIV infection or AIDS damaged spleen, or those who have undergone spleen/organ transplants, including those who have received certain long-term steroids treatment, certain cancer drugs, and radiation therapy.