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Case Management of Childhood Illness in the Private Health Sector

Since 1990, the global under-five mortality rate has declined by more than half. However, in spite of this progress, 5.4 million children under five years of age died in 2017, 4.1 million within the first year of life. Diarrhea, acute respiratory infection (pneumonia) and malaria remain the primary causes of death in children under five. In addition, nearly half of all deaths in this age group are attributable to concomitant malnutrition, which increases frequency and severity of illness and delays recovery. Every day, millions of parents seek health services for their sick children, and the private sector is often the first point of consult. SHOPS Plus conducted a review of peer-reviewed publications and grey literature in order to summarize existing evidence of integrated approaches to the management of childhood illness (including diarrhea, pneumonia, and malaria) being implemented by the private commercial sector and other non-state entities. This document outlines findings from this literature review.