Resumo

Lucha integrada contra las enfermedades de la infancia: nueva estrategia para mejorar la salud infantil. Rev Panam Salud Publica [online]. 1998, vol.4, n.3 ISSN 1020-4989.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1020-49891998000900013.

Every year in the Americas close to 257 000 children under 5 years of age die from illnesses that are preventable or easily treated. These deaths are mainly caused by acute respiratory infections, diarrhea, malaria, measles, and malnutrition. The "integrated management of childhood disease" strategy was designed by WHO and UNICEF as a methodology to be applied by basic health services in an effort to solve this important problem. The strategy includes case identification, classification, and management, and can be adapted to health care standards in each country. Its main objectives are lowering mortality rates and morbidity caused by prevalent childhood diseases as well as improving the quality of service. According to the World Development Report 1993: Investing in Health, published by the World Bank, this strategy is the most efficient health intervention in terms of its impact on the population's burden of death and disease, as well as its cost-effectiveness.