Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illness (IMNCI)

Key points

• • IMNCI is a strategy to reduce childhood deaths by managing the common serious illnesses of young children together, not one by one.
• • A health worker checks every sick child for danger signs and for the main killers: pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria, measles and malnutrition.
• • Findings are sorted into colour-coded categories that guide whether the child needs referral to hospital, specific care, or home advice.
• • It also covers the care of the newborn and promotes immunisation, breastfeeding and good nutrition.
• • By using simple, standard steps, it helps front-line workers act correctly even where resources are limited.