In a bid to reduce child mortality, the government of Kenya says it will adopt the World Health Organisation (WHO) pneumonia guidelines.
Speaking in Nairobi on Friday at the Scientific Symposium on Pneumonia to commemorate World Pneumonia day usually celebrated on Nov. 12, the Director of Medical Services, Ministry of Health, Jackson Kioko said.
He also informed a health forum in Nairobi that the guidelines required the use of amoxicillin dispersible tablets.
“This will be used for the treatment of pneumonia for children under five years instead of Benzyl penicillin administered through injection and is very common in Kenya.
“The tablets will enable the country to enhance treatment of pneumonia because they can be orally administered by mothers at home,’’ Kioko said.
The one day long conference had its major focus on the thematic areas of controlling pneumonia through early seeking of treatment and administration of appropriate recommended antibiotics.
The director further said, administering amoxicillin dispersible tablets, would make patients receive accurate doses.
“We want to eliminate cases where patients use less than the recommended dosage because it can result in reduced drug effectiveness as well as drug resistance.’’
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In accordance with the Ministry of Health ministry’s record, approximately 10,000 children under five years died annually from pneumonia with 30,000 deaths.
The other leading causes of childhood deaths include malaria and diarrhoea.
Kioko said that the state-owned Kenya Medical Supplies Authority had been mandated to provide the amoxicillin dispersible tablets to all public hospitals.
He added also that the government is set to embark on a nationwide campaign to sensitise the public on the benefits of the tablets.
Pneumonia is a respiratory infection disease that affects the lungs caused by virus, bacteria or fungi.
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