USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS FOR PREDICTING NEW PNEUMONIA CASES IN CHILDREN UNDER 5 YEARS OF AGE AT GWERU DISTRICT HOSPITAL IN ZIMBABWE

In this paper, the Artificial Neural Network model has been employed to project pneumonia cases in children under 5 at Gweru District Hospital (GDH) in Zimbabwe. The study covers the period January 2010 to December 2019. The out-of-sample forecasts range over the period January 2020 to December 2021. The residual analysis of the model indicates that the model applied in this research article is stable and suitable for forecasting under 5 pneumonia cases at GDH. The forecasts show a generally downwards trajectory of pneumonia cases at GDH over the period January 2020 – December 2021. The paper offers a 5-fold policy recommendation for use by the GDH health executive as well as other relevant government authorities.