Standardized diagnosis of pneumonia in developing countries

Abstract

The World Health Organization recommends the use of raised respiratory rate and chest wall indrawing to enable health workers in developing countries to diagnose pneumonia. We evaluated the current World Health Organization guidelines for management of the child with cough or difficult breathing in Manila, Philippines and Mbabane, Swaziland using an identical protocol in both countries. Raised respiratory rate was defined as ≥50/minute for children ages 2 to 12 months and ≥40/minute for children 12 months to 5 years.