Guideline on management of pneumonia and diarrhoea in children up to 10 years of age

Overview

Pneumonia and diarrhoea account for 23% of under-five mortality and were responsible for an estimated 1.17 million deaths in children under five globally. Furthermore, pneumonia and diarrhoea were responsible for 18% of mortality in children 5–9 years of age, resulting in an estimated 86 000 preventable deaths globally in 2021. Existing World Health Organization (WHO) guidance on the clinical management of pneumonia and diarrhoea has mainly focused on children less than 5 years of age.

WHO had not developed clinical guidance on the management of these conditions in children 5–9 years of age, which is a gap being addressed in response to calls from national policy- and decision-makers. The goal of the guideline is to develop, update and consolidate recommendations on the management of pneumonia and diarrhoea in order to inform, revise or update the development of clinical protocols for the management of pneumonia and diarrhoea in children up to 10 years of age.

This guideline aims to help WHO Member States and their partners make evidence-informed decisions on the appropriate actions in their efforts to address common childhood illnesses, including pneumonia and diarrhoea.

The main changes from previous recommendations involve giving greater scope for pneumonia treatment at the community level, using a specific set of signs and symptoms to diagnose hypoxaemia when pulse oximetry is not available, and a new dose for zinc supplementation. The recommendations are intended for a wide audience involved in the management of pneumonia and diarrhoea in children.