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: Atypical bacteria cause 10–40% of all childhood pneumonia.. Data on the burden of atypical pneumonia in sub-Saharan Africa are limited. : To determine the prevalence, associated factors, and outcome of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in children with respiratory symptoms at Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kampala. : Children aged 2 months to 12 years with cough and/or difficult breathing and fast breathing were recruited. A clinical history and physical examination were undertaken. Blood samples for Mycoplasma pneumoniae IgM antibodies were taken at enrolment and Day 21 and induced sputum for DNA-PCR. Admitted participants were followed for a maximum of 7 days or until discharge or death, whichever came first. : A total of 385 children were enrolled, and, of these, 368 (95.6%) were <5 years. Overall, 60/385 (15.6%) participants tested positive for M. pneumoniae IgM and/or DNA-PCR. Of these, 56/60 (93.3%) were <5 years of age. Wheezing was present in 21/60 (35.0%) of the children with atypical pneumonia and in 128/325 (39.4%) with typical pneumonia. The factors associated with M. pneumonia were female sex (AOR 1.94, 95% CI 1.22–3.08, p < 0.001), age ≥12 months (AOR 2.73, 95% CI 1.53–4.87, p = 0.01) and a history of prematurity (AOR 2.07, 95% CI 1.23–3.49, p = 0.01). Mortality was 17/352 (4.8%) and, of these, 4/17 (23.5%) had M. pneumonia. : M. pneumonia is common in young children , especially females above 2 years and those with history of prematurity. It presents with severe symptoms. The results of the study highlight the importance of considering atypical bacteria in under-5s with the symptoms of pneumonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To test whether standardising the use of blood transfusions and intravenous (IV) infusions could reduce fatality in severely malnourished children admitted to Mulago Hospital, Kampala. Methods: Improved adherence to the WHO protocol for blood transfusion and IV fluids was effected in patients with severe malnutrition by continuous medical education. A 'before and after' design was used to study 450 severely malnourished children (weight-for-height <−3 Z-score or presence of oedema) under 60 months of age. A total of 220 pre- and 230 post-'improved practice' patients were enrolled consecutively during the periods September to November 2003 and September to December 2004, respectively. Patients were followed up until discharge or death. The Kaplan–Meier survival curve and the Cox regression hazard model were used for univariate and multivariate analyses, respectively. Results: Overall case fatality was 23.6% (52/220) in the pre-period and 24.8% (57/230) in the post-period (p=0.78). Most of the deaths occurred in the 1st week of admission (73%, 38/52 in the pre-period and 61%, 35/57 in the post-period) and were of children who had received blood transfusion or IV infusion or both in the pre-period. Mortality in children transfused and/or infused was significantly reduced in the post-period (82%, 31/38 in the pre-period vs 23%, 8/35 in the post-period, p=0.008). In the post-period, there was a significant reduction in the number of inappropriate blood transfusions (18%, 34/194 vs 3.5%, 8/230, p=0.01) and IV fluid infusions (27%, 52/194 vs 9%, 20/230, p<0.001). Survival improved in children who received blood transfusions in the post-period [hazards ratio (HR) 0.22, 95% CI 0.30–1.67 vs HR 4.80, 95% CI 1.71–13.51], as did that of children who received IV infusions (HR 2.10, 95% CI 0.84–5.23 vs HR 3.91, 95% CI 1.10–14.04). Conclusion: Management according to the WHO protocol for severe malnutrition can reduce the need for blood and IV infusions. However, further studies are required to verify whether full implementation of the WHO protocol reduces the high case fatality in sub-Saharan hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]