Should fast breathing pneumonia cases be treated with antibiotics? The scientific rationale for revisiting management in Low and Middle income countries

Abstract

Highlights • World Health Organization (WHO) recommends oral antibiotic treatment for all children with fast breathing pneumonia.• However evidence for the guidance is weak and infections are often viral and self-limiting.• Further information regarding the true rationale for conducting non-inferiority trials to test the hypothesis that antibiotics may not be necessary for children with fast breathing as the sole symptomatology.