16.7  The types of treatment

‘Treat’ means giving treatment in the health post, prescribing drugs or other treatments to be given at home, as well as also teaching the child’s mother or caregiver how to carry out the treatments. The Assess and Classify chart describes how to:

• Give oral drugs
• Treat local infections
• Give intramuscular drugs
• Treat the child to prevent low blood sugar
• Give extra fluid for diarrhoea and continue feeding, and
• Give follow-up care.

Treatment in the health post also involves:

• Teaching the child’s mother or caregiver to give oral drugs and/or treat local infections at home, and
• Counselling the mother or caregiver about feeding, giving fluids and when to return to the health post.

This final study session has reviewed how you provide appropriate treatment for the sick young infant and child, including critical pre-treatments when urgently referring a child to hospital. You have now completed all of the stages of IMNCI: assessment, classification and treatment of the common problems of the young infant from birth to five years.