A system and method for counting and monitoring respiratory rate and detecting pneumonia in children by way of a mobile medical device are disclosed. The device is supported by a mobile application that implements the method. The system can provide a cloud-based web service to enable medical professionals to confirm detected pneumonia in children from a distance while a non-medical professional tests respiration of the children and to detect the prevalence of pneumonia or other diseases in a given geographical area. The method counts and monitors respiratory rate of children according to guidelines for detecting pneumonia in children. A respiratory detection device provides respiratory evaluation data to the mobile application, which then detects whether the child has pneumonia based on the child's age and observed
