Bacterial pneumonia is one of the most important killers of children in the developing world, claiming more than 3,500,000 lives per year. To date biomedical interventions to prevent pneumonia are very limited. Consequently, the primary strategy to prevent mortality from this common disease is treatment: antibiotics, which can be administered at home, or hospitalization with oxygen support for severe cases. Although palliative remedies for cough and cold do not prevent a respiratory infection from becoming pneumonia, supportive home treatment, including attention to food and fluid intake, is a valuable component of effective management. The challenge, therefore, is to develop a public health strategy that ensures that children with acute respiratory infections are treated with safe home remedies, that the subset of children with pneumonia are brought promptly to health care providers, that services are accessible and affordable, and that both families and providers have the knowledge and skills to manage sick children appropriately.