Survey of caregivers in Kenya to assess perceptions of zinc as a treatment for diarrhea in young children and adherence to recommended treatment behaviors

In 2004, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) revised their recommendations for management of acute diarrhea in children to include zinc treatment as well as oral rehydration solution (ORS). Little is known about how caregivers in low–resource settings perceive and use zinc treatment

Partnership as an Important Activity of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to Address the Food Problem

The article discusses the activities of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in solving the food program. The organization cooperates extensively with a number of international agricultural organizations and institutions. The main attention is given to FAO’s work with the UN system: (ECOSOC, ILO (International Labour Organization), WHO, UNDP (Food Program Development), UNESCO, UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization), UNCTAD (Conference on Trade and Development), UNICEF (UN Children’s Fund), economic Commission for Europe etc

The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative

Abstract The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a worldwide movement started by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) that is aimed at providing hospitals with a certification that guarantees the best possible patient-centered care for mothers and infants. It focuses on breastfeeding as optimal infant nutrition, and implements strategies to encourage and support mothers to breastfeed their infants exclusively for six months after birth. The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding are a set of 10 simple, easy to understand guidelines developed by WHO and UNICEF for implementing this initiative in the hospital setting and are used as the foundation for the BFHI. This initiative has been successful in many countries across the globe since its initiation in the early 1990s, but has yet to become widespread within the United States. This thesis will examine the background of this initiative, its benefits for mothers and infants, and evaluate the progress of its implementation within the United States

Progress on Household Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

The World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund (WHO/ UNICEF) Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (JMP) produces internationally comparable estimates of progress on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and is responsible for global monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets related to WASH. In 2020, the JMP released updated estimates for WASH in schools and WASH in health care facilities (2000-2019). This report presents updated national, regional and global estimates for WASH in households for the period 2000 to 2020 and takes stock of progress five years into the SDG period (2015-2020)

Maternal and Child Oral Health Interventions in Middle East and North Africa Regions:a rapid review

Objectives: To conduct a rapid review to identify any maternal and/or child oral health interventions implemented and/or tested in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries generally, and Lebanon, Palestine and Syria specifically, and to compile information on the relative effectiveness of these interventions. Methods: A systematic search was conducted for primary and secondary literature indexed in five online databases, and the websites of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Results: Two independent researchers reviewed 1,180 records from the online databases, and 3,120 reports from the WHO, UNRWA, UNICEF and UNHCR. Four unique studies were included and conducted in Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iran. No systematic reviews were found for targeted interventions in MENA regions. However, interventions using fluoridated toothpaste (Syria), preventive treatment and fluoridated chewing gum (Saudi Arabia), and oral health education with oral health reminders (Iran) were significantly effective in reducing early child caries (ECC) experience. In Syria and Iran, mother and child oral health promotions integrated into ongoing vaccination programmes were effective in reducing ECC. These interventions formed part of WHO and Ministry of Health programmes. Conclusion: Further investigation is essential to verify the effectiveness of incorporating multi-disciplinary, theory-driven oral health interventions into ongoing WHO maternal and child health programmes in MENA countries to assist in promoting oral health and wellbeing

ACCESS TO HANDHYGIENE IN SOUTH EAST ASIA IN RELATION TO COVID-19: A REVIEW

The present review aims at gathering refocus on access to handwashing in South East Asia. It is because, here nearly half of the households, schools and about one fourth of the health care centers lack the basic handwashing facility and that too at the time when about one third of global new COVID-19 positive cases are getting reported from this region these days. Data on access to, handwashing device having soap and water availability, in South Asia is mainly based on the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF JMP) Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WHO/UNICEF JMP 2020). In addition various relevant research and review papers were reviewed using the key words such as handwashing, South East Asia, Hand hygiene, and COVID-19. There is a high need to reaccess the factor of hand hygiene in South East Asia in relation to COVID-19 for the control of the present pandemic and other such challenges, particularly in South East Asia

Pediatric Malnutrition: A Global Health Threat

Pediatric malnutrition is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developing nations. In Ghana, one-third of childhood deaths are attributable to it. The most common forms of severe acute malnutrition include kwashiorkor (protein deficiency), marasmus (overall energy deficiency), and various micronutrient deficiencies (iodine, vitamin A, zinc, iron). Thirteen percent of Ghanaian children are moderately or severely underweight, 23% are stunted, and 6 % are wasted due to malnutrition. Princess Marie Louise Children’s Hospital (PML) is the largest facility in the greater Accra region for managing cases of pediatric severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Current public health guidelines to reduce disability and mortality from pediatric malnutrition in developing nations stem from the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) protocols for managing childhood malnutrition. Public health programs designed to combat pediatric malnutrition specific to Ghana include the Under Fives Child Health Policy (UFCHP) and Strengthening Health Outcomes Through the Private Sector (SHOPS) programs. Pediatric SAM is a complex issue that is unlikely to be eliminated in the foreseeable future. Therefore, public health efforts to prevent and treat pediatric SAM must be continuously optimized to reduce the societal and individual burden associated with malnutrition

Current approach in the management of diarrhea in children: from theory and research to practice and pragmatism

Diarrhea is the second leading cause of deaths in children under five - after pneumonia- with 1.5 million deaths per year. Several studies and meta-analysis, show that low osmolarity oral rehydration salts and zinc, significantly reduce morbidity and mortality in children with diarrhea. Since 2004, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recommended their routine use in children with diarrhea alongside existing preventive measures. Since then, these recommendations are still not yet put into practice in many countries. This article highlights current available evidence of the efficacy of low osmolarity oral rehydration salts and zinc in the management of diarrhea in children. It is hoped this will raise awareness in policy makers and health personnel to adopt these recommendations so that morbidity and mortality from diarrhea in children could be curbed.KEY WORDS: Low osmolarity oral rehydration salts – Zinc – Diarrhea – Children

Improving breastfeeding in rural Tanzania using Bardach’s Policy Analysis Methodology

Appropriate breastfeeding has the potential to have the broadest impact on childhood survival in children under five years (U5Y) compared to all other preventive interventions. The World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) recommend that all facilities providing maternal services and newborn care have a written policy addressing breastfeeding that is routinely disseminated to staff. Shirati hospital, in rural Tanzania, does not have a breastfeeding policy. Bardach’s 8-Fold Pathway for policy analysis methodology (adapted by Collins for health policy) was used to evaluate three promising breastfeeding policies to improve compliance with this recommendation. They include exclusive breastfeeding education, complementary food education, and community health worker (CHW) home visits. Analysis identified exclusive breastfeeding with adjunct complimentary food education as the most compelling policy to increase breastfeeding at Shirati hospital. With improved feeding practices, chronic malnutrition rates are expected to decline in and around Shirati

Leadership, action, learning and accountability to deliver quality care for women, newborns and children

Recognizing the need for action, the national governments of Bangladesh, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda and United Republic of Tanzania, together with WHO, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), implementation partners and other stakeholders, have established the Network for Improving Quality of Care for Maternal Newborn and Child Health care.10 The network has agreed to pursue the ambitious goals of halving maternal and newborn deaths and stillbirths and improving experience of care in participating health facilities within five years of implementation. Under the leadership of the participating countries’ health ministries, the network will support the implementation of national frameworks for quality improvement by pursuing four strategic objectives: (i) leadership by building and strengthening national institutions and processes for improving quality of care; (ii) action by accelerating and sustaining implementation of quality-of-care improvement packages through operationalizing a standards-based approach to quality improvement; (iii) learning by promoting joint learning and generating evidence on quality planning, improvement and control of health services; and (iv) accountability by developing, strengthening and sustaining institutions and mechanisms for accountability of quality maternal, neonatal and child health services that are equitable and dignified