General danger signs (GDS) (from 2 months to 5 years old)
The general danger signs are evidence of serious illness or severe infection in children of two months up to five years old. It needs an immediate intervention to save the life of the children.
The most important general danger signs are the following:
- Unable to eat or breastfeed.
- Vomit everything (after feeding immediately all the food is vomited out).
- Lethargic(very weak or tired, a baby looks like awake, but he does not see everything around him).
- Convulsions (jerky movement of specific or general part of the body e.g. they can present with twitching of the fingers, toes or mouth or rolling of the eyes.).
- Unconsciousness (the baby do not respond to stimuli).
Check for general danger signs:
If the mother is visiting the health post for the first time,
ask the mother what the child's problems are and first, assess the general danger signs before any other assessment.
Assessment of general danger signs from 2 months up to 5 years old
Ask the mother:
- Is the child able to drink or breastfeed?.
- Does the child vomit everything?.
- Has the child had convulsions?.
Look at the child:
- Look if the child is lethargic or unconscious.
- See if the child is convulsing now.
A child with a general danger sign has a serious problem. Most children with a general danger sign need urgent referral to hospital. They may need lifesaving treatment with injectable antibiotics, oxygen or other treatments that may not be available in the health post. You should complete the rest of the assessment immediately and give urgent pre-referral treatments before sending the patient to the next facility.
Assess and classify sick children from 2 months up to 5 years old:
| Sign |
Classification | Treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Any general danger sign | Very severe disease | Quickly complete the assessment. Give the first dose of Cotrimoxazole. Treat to prevent low blood glucose level. |