Community Acquired Pneumonia in Children

A study to observe how often antibiotics are prescribed in children hospitalized for pneumonia and how doctors decide if a child needs antibiotics or not. Parent satisfaction will also be recorded.

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare a placebo (a look-alike substance that contains no active drug) with a commonly used antibiotic in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae (a specific bacterium) induced community-acquired pneumonia. The main question it aims to answer is: Is antibiotic treatment needed in Mycoplasma pneumoniae (a specific bacterium) induced pneumonia? Participants will receive either a placebo or a antibiotic treatment and track their symptoms and vital signs until they are healthy. Researchers will then compare the length of symptoms between the placebo and the antibiotic group.

The goal of this open label, randomized, non-inferiority clinical trial is to compare the treatment success of a 5 day antibiotic course versus a standard antibiotic course (usually 7-14 days of antibiotics) in hospitalized children aged 3 months to 18 years, with uncomplicated community acquired pneumonia. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does a 5 day course work as well as standard (longer) courses of antibiotics for treating community acquired pneumonia in children? * Does a 5 day course cause less antibiotic side effects compared to a standard (longer) course of antibiotics in children with community acquired pneumonia? Participants will * be randomly assigned to either receive 5 total days or a total duration decided by the treating physician * receive a brief follow up questionnaire regarding clinical symptoms, follow up care/antibiotics, and side effects via phone or email at days 5 and 14 from the start of antibiotics Researchers will compare the experimental group (receiving 5 days duration) with the control group (standard duration) to see if 5 days is as successful as a standard duration.