Understanding if and where sick children are taken for care is critical to enhance interventions for treating childhood illnesses and improving child survival. Both the public and private sectors are important sources of care for sick children, and their role varies across contexts and socioeconomic statuses.

This brief is authored by Abt's Sarah E.K. Bradley, Lauren Rosapep, and Tess Shiras as part of the Sustaining Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) Plus project. It uses the most recent Demographic and Health Survey data from 24 of the 25 the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) maternal and child survival priority countries to examine where treatment or advice is sought for sick children who experienced at least one of three treatable illnesses that are leading causes of death in children under five: fever, acute respiratory infection, or diarrhea.

The (SHOPS) Plus project, implemented by Abt Global, is USAID's flagship initiative in private sector health. 

For more information, visit the SHOPS Plus web site.