Technical bases for the WHO recommendations on the management of pneumonia in children at first-level health facilities

Overview

Pneumonia is the largest killer of children under five years of age, most of them in developing countries. This document provides the technical bases for standardized case management of acute respiratory infections. Pneumonia is commonly caused by bacteria and viruses. This document presents evidence that bacterial pneumonia is more prevalent in developing countries and thus is the major cause of death in young children. It also provides evidence for the choice of clinical signs for classification of acute respiratory infections and choice of antibiotics according to the severity of pneumonia.