By the end of 2015, diarrhea remained a leading killer of children under 5. However, important progress has been made to scale up zinc and oral rehydration salts (ORS), which together are the recommended treatment for childhood diarrhea. Since the release of the WHO/UNICEF Joint Statement for Clinical Management of Acute Diarrhea in 2004, many national governments and local partners have launched large-scale efforts that have effectively addressed local barriers to access.
Progress over a Decade of Zinc and ORS Scale-up: Best Practices and Lessons Learned aims to share these experiences and consolidate lessons from countries and child health partners. This includes a series of case studies outlining specific approaches, lessons learned, and global resources to support interventions for securing an enabling environment, ensuring wide availability of zinc and ORS supply, and improving demand among providers and caregivers – in both public and private sectors.
Information was gathered from members of the Diarrhea & Pneumonia Working Group, co-chaired by the Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) and UNICEF, and other experts involved in child health programs. CHAI’s Essential Medicines Program aims to catalyze significant scale-up of treatment for child diarrhea and pneumonia, partnering with governments and local stakeholders in Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda.
For more information, contact Nancy Goh.
