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Zinc

Zinc and low-osmolarity oral rehydration salts prevent child deaths due to diarrhoeal disease.

Diarrhoea is a leading cause of child mortality. Zinc and low-osmolarity oral rehydration salts are an effective low-cost treatment that saves lives.

Field Story - Saving lives through better diarrhoea treatment: accomplishments in Bihar and Chhattisgarh

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17M

EPISODES OF DIARRHOEA IN CHILDREN TREATED

12K

DEATHS OF CHILDREN UNDER FIVE AVERTED

30K

FRONT LINE WORKERS TRAINED IN ZINC AND ORAL REHYDRATION SALTS TREATMENT

THE NEED

Although preventable and treatable, diarrhoea is a leading cause of death among children under five worldwide.

  • 500,000 children under five die of diarrhoeal disease every year
  • Five of the eight countries where Nutrition International implemented zinc and low-osmolarity oral rehydration salts (LO-ORS) programs in 2016 were among the 10 countries with the highest total number of deaths due to diarrhoea in children under five
  • In 2016, 53% of the global number of deaths due to diarrhoea occurred in the 10 countries where Nutrition International currently works.

Zinc helps treat childhood diarrhoea by:

  • Promoting immunity, skin and mucosal resistance to infection, and preserves cellular membrane integrity
  • Improving the absorption of water and electrolytes
  • Increasing the production of antibodies and lymphocytes that are needed against intestinal pathogens

OUR SOLUTION

Treating diarrhoea reduces child mortality.

Zinc combined with LO-ORS helps children:

  • Recover from diarrhoea faster by reducing the duration and the severity of the episode
  • LO-ORS may prevent 93% of diarrhoea-related deaths

At a cost of less than 50 cents per co-pack, which treats a single episode of diarrhoea, combined zinc supplementation and LO-ORS is a low-cost and effective treatment.

With an integrated approach, using a combination of vaccination, safe drinking water, basic sanitation, exclusive breastfeeding, and improved nutrition, we can dramatically reduce diarrhoea.

However, even where countries have made policy changes to include zinc supplementation, action on the ground is not yet at a large enough scale to reach those who need it the most.

Our Solution

We work with stakeholders around the world to get zinc tablets and LO-ORS to those most at risk of diarrhoeal diseases.

At Nutrition International we partner with key stakeholders to:

  • Help governments establish and manage zinc supply chains
  • Build local capacity by training government health workers to deliver zinc and LO-ORS, and to record and monitor zinc supplementation programs at local health centres
  • Partner with private sector providers and suppliers to improve availability of zinc in the private sector and to complement the public sector
  • Develop awareness materials and campaigns to encourage caregivers to seek care for childhood diarrhoea and use zinc supplements
  • Ensure that awareness materials highlight the role of men and fathers in the management of childhood diarrhoea, the importance of women’s involvement in healthcare decision making, and the importance of joint decision-making within the household
  • Offer resources and expertise to add capacity to supervise programs

Integrated programs

We contribute to the global knowledge sharing and response to child health.

We’re a member of the Child Health Task Force, a network of global and country-based organizations and individuals working to design and implement child health programs that take a life-course approach. The Task Force aims to generate and share evidence on how to implement equitable, comprehensive, and integrated programs that will translate into better outcomes for children.

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Our Global Projects

Discover our projects around the world

Find Nutrition International zinc projects.

Browse more projects like these

Improving quality nutrition services across the first 1,000 days in Gujarat and…

Nutrition International is implementing and evaluating a model for the improved quality of nutrition services across the first 1,000 days in two districts in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, India.

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Improving quality nutrition services across the first 1,000 days in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh in India

Improving nutrition in the Pakistan flood response

This project will help to address the nutritional needs of children in Pakistan who were severely impacted by flooding in 2022 and are now at a higher risk for diarrhoea and malnutrition.

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Improving nutrition in the Pakistan flood response

Institutionalizing mandatory oil and wheat flour fortification in Pakistan

With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we will help to take Pakistan's large-scale food fortification programs to the next level.

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hand holding spade of wheat flour in Pakistan

AMAN - Adopting a multisectoral approach for nutrition

Improving the health and wellbeing of people living in Cox’s Bazar by strengthening nutrition service delivery, social safety net programs, and multisectoral nutrition actions.

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AMAN - Adopting a multisectoral approach for nutrition

Better Investment for Stunting Alleviation (BISA)

The Better Investment for Stunting Alleviation project supports the Government of Indonesia’s national strategy to reduce stunting by improving nutrition before pregnancy and in the first 1,000 days.

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two girls and two boys in Indonesia looking up and smiling

Related

Field Story

In photos: Local shops enhance access to zinc and LO-ORS to improve child…

In this photo essay, see how community members in Vihiga County, Kenya, work to ensure children under five receive timely treatment for diarrhoea using zinc and LO-ORS.

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Children Under Five

Providing the micronutrients that children need to survive and thrive.

Well-nourished children have stronger immune systems, making them more resistant to sickness and disease, while improving their overall health, brain development and human potential.

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Supplementation

Delivering the key micronutrients the body needs to survive and thrive.

We deliver the key micronutrients the body needs to survive and thrive through supplementation, a low-cost and simple solution that helps prevent the most common micronutrient deficiencies.

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