NAIROBI, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- Kenya plans to adopt the World Health Organization (WHO) pneumonia guidelines in order to reduce child mortality.
Director of Medical Services at the Ministry of Health Jackson Kioko told a health forum in Nairobi Friday that the guidelines require the use of amoxicillin dispersible tablets for treatment of pneumonia for children under the age of five instead of Benzyl penicillin which is administered through an injection which 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 on Friday during the Scientific Symposium on Pneumonia to commemorate World Pneumonia day which is celebrated annually on Nov. 12.
The day long conference focused on one of the thematic areas of controlling pneumonia which is early seeking of treatment and administration of appropriate recommended antibiotics.
Kioko said that by using amoxicillin dispersible tablets, patients will receive accurate doses.
"We want to eliminate cases where patients use less than the recommended dosages because it can result in reduced drug effectiveness as well as drug resistance," he said.
Pneumonia is respiratory infection that affects the lungs that can be caused by virus, bacteria or fungi.
According to the Ministry of Health, approximately 10,000 children under the age of five died of pneumonia, out of the total 30,000 child deaths annually. The other leading causes of childhood deaths include malaria and diarrhea.
State-owned Kenya Medical Supplies Authority has been mandated to provide the amoxicillin dispersible tablets to all public hospitals.
Kioko said the government will roll out a nationwide campaign to sensitize the public on the benefits of the tablets.
