Accra, July 1, GNA - Each year, about 8.8 million children below the age of five years die as a result of diseases that could be avoided with the use of safe essential medicines formulated appropriately for children. These diseases include diarrhoea and pneumonia, as well as conditions such as severe bacterial infections in newborns.

In view of this, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has released a Model Formulary for children which would provide information on how to use over 240 essential medicines for treating illnesses and diseases in children from age zero to 12 years.

A release from the WHO in Accra and copied to the Ghana News Agency noted that the formulary would provide medical practitioners with worldwide access to standardized information on the recommended use, dosage, adverse effect, and contradictions of medicines for use on children. It stated that the new formulary was based on the best global evidence available, as to which medicines to be used to treat specific conditions, how to be administered, and in what dose.

"Accurate dosing of medicines for use in children is essential, particularly those between 0 to 12 months. A dosing error in a child this small can have devastating results", it said.

The formulary provides precautions to be taken, what adverse reaction to be monitored, and the kind of interactions that may occur if the patient was given the wrong medicines.

It stated that the formulary highlights the need for better fixed dose combination - several medicines in one pill for effective and safe treatment in children, especially in cases of malaria and HIV.

It said the formulary would help health care providers to prescribe the right medicine, in the right formulation and the right dose.