Pneumonia, the leading killer of children
Pneumonia, the leading cause of death in children under five in the world, kills more children than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined. Over two million children die from pneumonia each year, accounting for almost 1 out of 5 children under-five deaths worldwide.

What exactly is pneumonia?
Pneumonia is a severe form of Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI), mainly caused by a bacterial pathogen spread through contaminated air droplets. Its main symptoms include fever, cough, fast or difficult breathing, which can be easily recognised by a caregiver by monitoring the number of breaths a child makes per minute. In severe cases, a child will suffer chest "indrawing" – when children struggle to breathe with the chest moving in or retracting.

A disease that can easily be treated
Early diagnosis and treatment with simple antibiotics can prevent a large proportion of deaths caused by pneumonia. Recognizing symptoms of pneumonia is the first step in reducing deaths among children under five. Once caregivers are able to recognize symptoms, creating access to treatment by providing the appropriate antibiotics in the correct dosage is essential to save lives.

With five dollars, PSI can purchase antibiotics to treat 20 children.

The pre-packaged treatment approach
PSI is developing pre-packaged therapy kits that will be distributed under medical prescription through private sector pharmacies and clinics to treat pneumonia in children under five. Pre-packaged treatment kits will contain cotrimoxazole, with the correct dosages for children from 2-12 months and for children one to five years old. These kits are being designed for easy administration by the caregiver at home and clear instructions in local language and with simple illustrations so that illiterate people may also be able to understand the dosing instructions.

Improving pneumonia diagnostics and treatment
A comprehensive communications strategy is needed to create awareness of the availability of effective treatment products and to improve ability of caregivers to recognize the symptoms of pneumonia, as well as motivate them to promptly seek care and complete the full treatment.

Critical to this approach is the engagement of community health workers, private sector health providers, pharmacy owners and attendants, who need to be trained in the clinical assessment, classification and treatment of pneumonia.

Educate on pneumonia prevention is just as important
Preventing children from developing pneumonia in the first place is essential for reducing child deaths. Communication campaigns will also promote the three ways to prevent pneumonia from developing: adequate nutrition (including breastfeeding and zinc intake), raising immunization rates and reducing indoor air pollution.