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Pneumonia Diagnostics

Ethiopia

Figure 1. Map of Ethiopia and the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Regional State

In Ethiopia (Figure 2), it is estimated that 360,000 children under the age of five die each year from preventable or treatable conditions such as acute respiratory infection (primarily pneumonia), neonatal complications, malaria, diarrhoea and malnutrition. Pneumonia contributes to 18 percent of the deaths in children under five.


Currently there are 27,000 community health workers - or health extension workers (HEWs) - trained in Ethiopia. HEWs must be women aged at least 18 years with at least a 10th grade education. They must complete a one-year course of training which includes coursework as well as field work to gain practical experience. HEWs are trained in iCCM and equipped to properly assess, classify and manage pneumonia, malaria, diarrhoea and severe acute malnutrition. HEWs do not currently use any special devices to diagnose pneumonia. Instead, the government has provided watches to HEWs that clearly display seconds for the counting of breathing rates. According to the 2011/12 Ethiopia Health Indicator Report, there are a total of 7,353 active HEWs in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR).

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