Brussels icon Manneken Pis was given a new costume on Tuesday morning for World Pneumonia Day.
Wearing an oxygen mask and a red tee-shirt belonging to the children's rights organisation Save the Children, the costume is intended to highlight the risk of pneumonia.
To mark #WorldPneumoniaDay, Brussels’ most famous child has agreed to work with Save the Children. One child dies of pneumonia every 39 seconds. We call on the @EU_Commission to make commitments to #StopPneumonia https://t.co/reGyhQvzMK pic.twitter.com/HhjI4wRLIf
— Save the Children EU (@EUSaveTC) November 12, 2019
Despite the fact that pneumonia is treatable, it is a leading cause of death for children under five years of age.
This reality is partly to do with the lack of oxygen supply for children in some countries, stemming from the fact that oxygen tanks are very expensive and difficult to transport, Save the Children spokesperson Alva Finn told Bruzz.
Save the Children calls for the European Union to invest more time and energy into researching the disease.
Evie McCullough
The Brussels Times
