A group of researchers from the University of Nottingham said in a report that pills were better than injections for treating children infected with community-acquired pneumonia.
Child patients taking pills recovered as quickly as those receiving injections but suffered less pain, and required less oxygen therapy, the report said.
The report was based on research on 243 child patients of community-acquired pneumonia. They were enrolled over a 1-month period at eight British hospitals, with half of them assigned to receive antibiotic pills and the other half to receive antibiotics intravenously.
Researchers found that both types of treatment were effective in tackling the illness and the former actually had a number of advantages.
One of the leading researchers, Terence Stephenson, said the majority of child patients would still require hospital treatment, while oral medication at home could be tolerated if the disease only lasts for a short period of time.
Dame Helena Shovelton, Chief Executive of the British Lung Foundation, which had sponsored the research, said that thanks to the study, treating child pneumonia cases would be less painful and
distressing for the patients, their parents and the health professionals caring for them.