IV Antibiotic therapy
When treating pneumonia clinical, laboratory and radiographic findings should be
considered. The age of the child, local epidemiology of respiratory pathogens and
sensitivity of these pathogens to particular microbial agents and the emergence of
antimicrobial resistance also determine the choice of antibiotic therapy (Table 10 and
Table 11) The severity of the pneumonia and drug costs have also a great impact on the
selection of therapy (Table 5.7).
The majority of childhood infections are caused by viruses and do not require any
antibiotic. However, it is also very important to remember that we should be vigilant to
choose appropriate antibiotics especially in the initial treatment to reduce further
mortality and morbidity.
Table 10: Susceptibility (%) pattern of Streptococcus pneumoniae found in Malaysia