Table 1.
Recommended medications for specified diagnoses according to the Papua New Guinea Standard Treatment Guidelines for Adults and Children
| Diagnosis | Recommended medications | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults | Children | |
| Anaemiaa | Fefol; Albendazole; if spleen is very large, Chloroquine | Antimalarial + Albendazole + Folic Acid + Iron (for severe cases a blood transfusion) |
| Coughb | Amoxicillin + Paracetamol (if simple cough) | Amoxicillin |
| Diarrhoeac | Treat dehydration with Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS); in severe cases treat intravenously with ORS | Treat dehydration with Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS); in severe cases treat intravenously with ORS |
| Gastroenteritisc | Treat dehydration with Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS); in severe cases treat intravenously with ORS | Treat dehydration with Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS); in severe cases treat intravenously with ORS |
| Influenza-like-illness | Amoxicillin (bacterial infection) + Paracetamol (fever) | Amoxicillin (bacterial infection) + Paracetamol (fever) |
| Malariad | P.falciparum: Artemether Lumefantrine (AL); P.vivax: AL + Primaquine | P.falciparum: Artemether Lumefantrine (AL); P.vivax: AL + Primaquine |
| Otitis Mediae | Amoxicillin + Paracetamol (acute otitis media); Co-trimoxazole (for pus in chronic Otitis media) | Amoxicillin + Paracetamol (acute otitis media); Co-trimoxizole (if pus/discharge after 1 week of treatment); Boric Acid ear drops (Chronic Otitis Media) |
| Pneumoniaf | Paracetamol (chest pains) + Amoxicillin (mild, moderate); Benzyl-penicillin (severe); Chloramphenicol (severe); gentamicin (severe); ceftriaxone (severe) + Oxygen (severe) + nebulised salbutamol (for wheezing); salbutamol inhaler (for wheezing) | Chloramphenicol (severe pneumonia) + Oxygen (if child is cyanosed/grunting/in heart failure/restless/drowsy/stopping breathing); Benzyl Penicillin (moderate pneumonia); Amoxicillin (mild pneumonia) |
| URTIg | Amoxicillin (bacterial infection) + Paracetamol (fever) | Amoxicillin (bacterial infection) + Paracetamol (fever) |
| Worms | Albendazole | Albendazole |
aIncludes severe anaemia, anaemia acquired in pregnancy, anaemia acquired after birth and non-specific anaemia
bIncludes general cough, simple cough and productive cough
cA rating could not be made in the majority of cases due to insufficient diagnostic information (e.g., diarrhoea would be treated in different ways depending on the cause, but the cause was rarely stated)
dIncludes uncomplicated malaria, severe malaria and non-specific malaria
eIncludes both acute and chronic otitis media as well as non-specific otitis media
fIncludes moderate, mild and severe pneumonia
gUpper Respiratory Tract Infection