Antibiotics for paediatric community-acquired pneumonia in resource-constrained settings

Despite Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccination strategies, pneumonia remains the leading infectious cause of child mortality. Greater access to appropriate treatment is critical; however, defining "appropriate" is problematic. World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines recommend diagnosing pneumonia using clinical signs and a non-specific, pragmatic case definition: fast breathing or chest indrawing (pneumonia) and presence of WHO danger signs (severe pneumonia) in children with cough or difficulty breathing [1]. It is unclear whether all "pneumonia" using these definitions needs to be treated with antibiotics, and if so, for how long.
Source: European Respiratory Journal - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Original Articles: Correspondence Source Type: research