Twice Daily Treatment With Amoxicillin for Non-severe Community Acquired Pneumonia.

Participation Requirements

• Sex:

  ALL

• Eligible Ages:

  0 to 18

Participation Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* All patients 3 months to 18 years of age attending the pediatric ED and diagnosed with a non-severe pneumonia, will be considered for enrolment. More precisely, the following inclusion criteria will be required:

1. Presence of respiratory symptoms (cough and/or dyspnea)
2. Presence of signs of pneumonia (tachypnea, abnormal breath sounds, crackles)
3. Presence of fever
4. Positive chest radiography as interpreted by the treating physician

Exclusion Criteria:

* Any danger signs associated with pneumonia (severe indrawing, shock or severe dehydration, empyema, important pleural effusion, pulmonary abcess or pneumatocoele)
* History of anaphylactic or allergic reaction to penicillin or amoxicillin according to the treating physician.
* History of a serious nonimmunoglobulin E-mediated reactions (eg, Stevens-Johnson syndrome or toxic epidermal necrolysis) attributed to amoxicilin.
* Caregiver unable to provide consent (language barrier or lack of caregiver presence)
* Underlying unstable chronic illness (ie. cystic fibrosis, immune suppression, active tuberculosis, bronchiectasis or active pulmonary malignancies)
* Persistent/chronic pneumonia syndromes (with symptoms for \>2 weeks), suspected by the physician to be caused by atypical pathogens, hospital- acquired pneumonia (been hospitalized within 2 weeks prior to enrolment), aspiration pneumonia or recurrent pneumonias.
* Any history of receiving amoxicillin within the past month
* Need hospitalisation for any other reasons (ie. persistent vomiting, severe life-threatening infection such as septicaemia or meningitis requiring intravenous antimicrobial agents)
* Previous participation in study