Clinical management of acute respiratory infections in children: a WHO memorandum.

To reduce the massive mortality from acute respiratory infections which now occurs in children under 5 years of age in developing countries, the improvement and upgrading of clinical management, particularly by primary health care workers, seems to be the strategy of choice. This Memorandum draws attention to the need for more information on both the etiological agents and the environmental factors involved, in order to provide a scientific basis for approaches to control.In spite of the lack of precise information, it may still be possible to devise guidelines for effective management within the framework of primary health care, on the basis of the existing empirical knowledge. Such plans should emphasize the role of health education and the development of simple flowcharts for diagnosis and management. Treatment schedules based on the administration of antibiotics are discussed. One use of flowcharts is to specify when drugs should and should not be used, bearing in mind local conditions.