Docs: Home care OK for kids’ pneumonia

AP/Yahoo News, January 4, 2008

Children with severe pneumonia can be treated just as effectively at home as in a hospital, according to a study. Researchers found that children taking antibiotics at home were as likely to survive serious pneumonia as those treated in hospitals. Under current World Health Organization guidelines, health workers refer children with severe pneumonia to hospitals to receive antibiotics. But in many poor countries, children referred to hospitals often don't receive care if their parents cannot afford it or if there is no nearby hospital.