West African journal of medicine
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Comparative Study
Acute respiratory infections in young children comparative findings in emergency rooms in Accra, (Ghana) and Harare (Zimbabwe).
A descriptive study of the emergency room outcome of Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) in children aged 0-3 years in the department of Child health of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Ghana and Parirenyatwa Hospital (PH), Zimbabwe was undertaken in June-July 1993. Each hospital's emergency room received over one thousand patients during the period with ARI contributing 22.4% to 45.5% of all admissions. KBTH had the lower incidence of ARI; probably as a result of the general lack of knowledge of ARI, resulting in late case of identification and referral for treatment. ⋯ Our study shows an appreciable decline in the severer forms of ARI from the first to the third year of life, confirming the noted importance of younger age as a universal risk factor in ARI outcome. Lower respiratory infections, mainly pneumonia and bronchiolitis were more prevalent in both countries, while the chance of a child dying from ARI was higher in KBTH. Ghana urgently needs a comprehensive national ARI control programme based on the WHO case control programme guidelines with antibiotics permissible at all levels of the health service.