Effectiveness of Adding Zinc to the Current Case Management Package of Diarrhea in a Primary Health Care Setting

Summary

Use of zinc in diarrhea may be an effective intervention to reduce hospitalizations and child mortality as it could reach the most vulnerable children in a community and reduce severity of not only diarrhea but also of associated infections. It might also potentially reduce antibiotic use. We conducted a pilot study prior to conducting a community based controlled effectiveness trial to assess whether addition of zinc as a therapeutic modality for diarrhea delivered through existing channels, reduces visits to health care providers, antibiotic and other drug use, and increases ORS use during diarrhea.

Timeline

Start

2003-08

Primary completion

2004-08

Completion

2004-08

Publications

• Results Bhandari N, Mazumder S, Taneja S, Dube B, Black RE, Fontaine O, Mahalanabis D, Bhan MK. A pilot test of the addition of zinc to the current case management package of diarrhea in a primary health care setting. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2005 Nov;41(5):685-7. doi: 10.1097/01.mpg.0000182799.69675.92.

Drugs

Indications