Innovative Project Tackles Diarrhea in Kids

The IRC has launched a project to introduce zinc for the treatment of children’s diarrhea. Recent academic studies have shown that zinc has both curative and preventive properties. It reduces the severity and duration of diarrhea, and it protects children against future episodes of diarrhea and pneumonia. This treatment is important in the Chad and Darfur region, where diarrhea and acute respiratory infections are the leading health problems, especially among children.

Unfortunately, few children have access to zinc, even though UNICEF and the World Health Organization recognize zinc as an essential component of proper diarrhea treatment in developing countries. The IRC has taken the lead, becoming the first agency to use zinc in a non-academic setting with a pilot program in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The IRC program has been recognized as a model by USAID and other agencies,and the IRC has been asked to provide technical support to other aid agencies seeking to offer zinc treatment.