A dynamic alliance solves a common problem
Region: Asia
Low-cost oral rehydration salts (ORS) combined with zinc is the most effective treatment for diarrheal diseases, which cause more than 700,000 deaths each year in children under 5 years of age. In India, more than 80 percent of health care providers are informal practitioners, many of whom lack knowledge about the effectiveness of ORS and zinc. In the states of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, FHI 360 connected local pharmaceutical companies willing to produce and market ORS and zinc with civil society organizations willing to educate the providers and act as a sales force. Regular visits to rural medical practitioners, demonstrations and short videos have transformed the way a common childhood illness is treated: The Diarrhea Alleviation through Zinc and ORS Therapy (DAZT) project now regularly reaches more than 27,000 informal practitioners, including those who work in drug shops, in both states to ensure availability of ORS and zinc treatments. As of December 2012, approximately 85 percent of those providers dispensed ORS and 45 percent dispensed a combination of ORS and zinc, a sign that DAZT has fostered an innovative, sustainable solution to a common problem.
Funder: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through the United States Fund for UNICEF
