Table 1. World Health Organization-Health Action International surveys that covered child-appropriate medicines for treatment of common childhood diseases .
| Disease | No. (%) of surveys of child-appropriate medicines (n = 50) | Associated disease burden (ranked)a | Age group most affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asthma | 49 (98) | 8 | 5–14 years |
| Bacterial infectious diseasesb | 45 (90) | 1 | All ages |
| Pain and palliative care | 24 (48) | –c | All ages |
| Diarrhoeal diseases | 13 (26) | 2 | All ages |
| Malaria | 7 (14) | 3 | 1 month–14 years |
| Epilepsy | 7 (14) | 9 | 1 month–14 years |
| Measles | 3 (6) | 5 | 1 month–5 years |
| Migraine | 1 (2) | 10 | 5–14 years |
| Tuberculosis | 0 (0) | 4 | 1 month–14 years |
| Iron deficiency anaemia | 0 (0) | 6 | 1 month–14 years |
| HIV/AIDS | 0 (0) | 7 | All ages |
| Vitamin K-deficiency bleeding | 0 (0) | –c | Neonates |
AIDS: acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; HIV: human immunodeficiency virus infection; WHO: World Health Organization.
a We selected diseases with the highest burden of disease in children (in disability-adjusted life years) from the Global Health Estimates.10
b Bacterial infectious diseases is an aggregated term for several prevalent infectious diseases with bacterial origin (such as lower respiratory infections, neonatal sepsis, meningitis, pertussis and syphilis).
c Dashes indicate that these diseases are not associated with a burden in the Global Health Estimates, so no rank can be assigned.
Note: Dosage forms considered child-appropriate were: inhalers, injections, oral liquids, powders for dissolving, suppositories, and chewable or (oro)dispersible tablets. If none of the dosage forms above were listed in the WHO essential medicines list for children,11 tablets or capsules were also considered appropriate.