Injectable Antibiotic

Last Update: January 11, 2013

Injectable forms of procaine benzylpenicillin, gentamicin, and ceftriaxone have been found as effective in low-resource settings to treat newborn sepsis. Limited data has been found to show that injectable antibiotic therapy may be preferred over oral therapy. Many countries in Africa with weak health systems do not have the antibiotics available and therefore need access to antibiotics closer to home. This includes community-based treatment of neonatal infection, innovation in antibiotic delivery systems, and the gentamicin Uniject prefilled injection system. This device comes in a 10 mg dose and 13.5 mg dose and can be used easily and safely by community health volunteers.