Save the Children Targets the Second Leading Cause of Death for Children Under 5
Zinc Tablets and Oral Rehydration Therapy Can Save a Child from Diarrhea |
| Eric Swedberg, Senior Director of Health and Nutrition, talks about the zinc program in Mali. Audio interview 4:15. |
Far off the main highway in the village of Nianzana, Mali, a six-month-old baby — Baby Mory — came down with a fever and diarrhea. His mother, Assata, took him to the village health volunteer, Numan.
Trained by Save the Children, Numan knew that to avoid serious complications — and even death — he needed to act quickly. He treated Baby Mory with zinc and a simple oral rehydration solution — made of just sugar, salt and clean water.
Baby Mory survived the illness and is now 4 years old and thriving, thanks to the trained health volunteer and the availability of zinc in his village. The zinc tablets that helped Mory grow into a healthy, happy child cost only about 38 cents for a 10-14 day treatment.
In a recent follow-up visit with Mory’s family, his father and mother shared their experience: “Our advice to all parents is that this is a good treatment for diarrhea and it saved our son's life.”
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In 2006, six-month-old Baby Mory was treated with zinc and oral rehydration salts. Photo credit: Mark Amann/NCI |
Key Facts:
- Diarrhea is the second leading cause of death of children under 5 around the world.
- Each year nearly 2 million children die from diarrhea around the world.
- A 10-14 day treatment of 20mg zinc tablets, in conjunction with oral rehydration salts, lessens the severity of diarrhea and reduces the chance that it will recur in the next 2-3 months.
- The cost for a 10-14 day supply of zinc tablets is only about 38 cents.
- The Ministry of Health in Mali recently added zinc to its list of essential drugs.
- Since 2004, Save the Children has been training community health workers in Mali to recognize and treat the symptoms of diarrhea.
Sources: Policy Brief Summary Findings from Zinc Introduction to
Last Updated August 2009
