title: Challenges in managing infections among pediatric cancer patients: Suboptimal national essential medicines lists for low and middle income countries.
abstract: Infection management for pediatric cancer patients may be compromised in low and middle income countries (LMICs) if key antimicrobials are not included in national essential medicines lists. We screened national essential medicines lists for 81 LMICs, and assessed the frequency and corresponding 95% confidence limits (CL) of countries that included the 15 International Society of Paediatric Oncology-recommended antimicrobial agents. Only 19% (95% CL: 11%, 28%) of countries included all recommended antimicrobials in their national essential medicines lists. The selection of antimicrobial agents for national essential medicines lists in LMICs warrants attention from a pediatric cancer perspective. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2015;62:204-207. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Jeannette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kirby
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Rohit P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Ojha
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Kyle M
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3464-0749
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Elizabeth C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Bittner
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.|International Outreach Program, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Miguela A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Caniza
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018954:Drugs, Essential / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D009181:Mycoses / Q000188:drug therapy*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000935:Antifungal Agents; D000998:Antiviral Agents; D018954:Drugs, Essential
keywords: antimicrobials; essential medicines; infections; low and middle income countries; pediatric cancer