The purpose of a recent study published in Pediatric Respiratory Reviews was to assess the epidemiology, etiology and management of childhood pneumonia in low-and-middle-income countries.

This was a systematic review, conducted from the published literature between 2013 and 2019.

The findings revealed that pneumonia persists to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in these regions. Risk factors for this infection are young age, malnutrition, immunosuppression, tobacco smoke or air pollution exposure. It was noted that better methods for specimen collection and molecular diagnostics have improved microbiological diagnosis, indicating that pneumonia results from the interaction between several organisms. Meanwhile, the sputum induced by this infection increases the microbiologic yield for Bordetella pertussis or Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which has been correlated to pneumonia in high tuberculosis prevalence areas. On the other hand, the rate of occurrences due to Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae b has declined with new conjugate vaccines. Staphylococcus aureus and H. influenzae non-type b are the commonest bacterial pathogens while viruses are the most common pathogens. Effective interventions against pneumonia are antibiotics, oxygen and non-invasive ventilation. Although new vaccines have reduced severity and incidence of the disease, disparities exist in uptake.

In inference, it was stated that morbidity and mortality from childhood pneumonia has decreased, however, a considerable preventable burden remains. Hence, widespread implementation of available, effective interventions and development of novel strategies are essential.