Low-Osmolarity Oral Rehydration Salts (LO-ORS)
Dehydration resulting from childhood diarrhea is among the major causes of child mortality in Tanzania. Many deaths caused by dehydration are the results of poor compliance to effective treatment using oral rehydration solution (ORS). Low osmolarity ORS and zinc have recently been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) as effective treatments for childhood diarrhea and the effects of dehydration that result. While 96 percent of caretakers are aware of ORS, only 54 percent use it for treatment of dehydration when their children have diarrhea. Diarrhea is more prevalent in rural areas; the prevalence for urban and rural is ten and 13 percent respectively. Diarrhea is most prevalent in children between six and 23 months.
During 2009, T-MARC Company is implementing new product development ventures that leverage both social marketing and private sector marketing best practices to create strong public-private partnerships to enhance the availability and affordability of these products. The Company will partner with the Point of Use Water Purification and Zinc Treatment (POUZN) project, managed by the Academy for Educational Development (AED), to encourage private sector participation in the launch of new LO-ORS and zinc treatment products for pediatric diarrhea. The activity will target children less than five years of age and will contribute to an increase in the proportion of children under five with acute diarrhea receiving ORS and zinc. The project will also work with pharmaceutical manufacturers that have the interest and capacity to develop the private sector market for affordable ACTs that meet TFDA approval and conform to National Malaria Control Program guidelines for malaria treatment. The strategic focus will be to ensure that the adult market is well served by the private sector, while the subsidized Coartem pediatric version provided by Global Fund support remains focused on addressing the needs of malaria treatment for children under five and those most in need of it (3rd and 4th lowest wealth quintile population segments).
This product is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Tanzania.
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