The past few years have seen a decline in community
acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children in the western
world, although this has gone hand-in-hand
with more serious cases needing hospital admission.
Our study characterises cases of CAP admitted to
hospital and compares this data with a 2001 study.
We collected data on 63 admissions over a six-month
period. The majority were aged 0-2 years old. Chest
X-ray showed consolidation/atelectasy in 58 (92.1%)
and pleural effusion (PE) in 17 (27.0%), of which 11
were empyema (17.4% of all admissions). The bacte