Aid in Action

Maternal and Child Health

 | Monday, March 31, 2008

New Approaches:

Improving Treatment of Childhood Illnesses:

• The use of Zinc in management of diarrhea among children:  Studies have shown that Zinc treatment results in a 25% reduction in duration of acute diarrhea and 40% reduction in treatment failure or death in persistent diarrhea. The combination of zinc and ORS is a safe, effective and inexpensive diarrhea treatment for children in the developing world. RCQHC is reviewing a course, developed with support from UNICEF, to revitalize ORT with Zinc combination at community level. Initially covering Uganda this course will be the basis for regional training. 

Preventing Postpartum Hemorrhage

• Active Management of the Third Stage of labor (AMTSL): Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a significant cause of maternal morbidity and mortality and one proven effective management method is AMTSL. Evidence shows that AMTSL provides a better balance of benefits and harms and should be practiced routinely to decrease the risk of PPH. In an effort to effectively promote critical interventions in AMTSL, both at the facility and community levels, USAID supported studies by RCQHC and ECSA-HC in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda to assess AMSTL with a special focus on community responses to (PPH). Findings are to provide decision makers and health care delivery personnel with data for policy formulation and design of appropriate interventions to reduce maternal mortality.

Improving Nutrition among women and children:

• Essential Nutrition Actions (ENA): USAID/EA and the Regional Centre for Quality of Health Care (RCQHC) address malnutrition through the ENA approach, an integrated and preventative package of seven nutrition actions, covering infant and young child feeding, micronutrients and women’s nutrition.  Three countries, Tanzania, Uganda and Malawi have adopted ENA and are beginning to show that ENA may be more effective than supplementary and therapeutic feeding per se because it focuses on small doable actions. The three countries have integrated nutrition at all MCH contact points, and eliminated competition between programs and are fostering cross sector partnership.
• Girl guides:  In collaboration with RCQHC and FANTA, USAID/EA promotes anemia prevention among adolescents. Because many girls become pregnant before the age of 20, reduced iron stores puts them at risk for pregnancy complications. Through the Girl Guides program, girls in the ages of 7 to 18 are learning life skills related to health and personal development (teenagers are more likely to be open to new ideas).  Each girl earns a badge for demonstrating sufficient knowledge of general nutrition, causes and consequences of anemia, iron rich foods, iron-enhancing foods and iron inhibiting foods, in addition to completing three practical activities and two community outreach projects to help other girls and women prevent anemia. Hand and work books both French and English are available.
• Food Fortification:  More than 10 million women and children suffer from micronutrient deficiencies such as Iodine, Vitamin A and Iron deficiencies in the region. The annual death toll is estimated to be more than 400,000. With the support of USAID/EA and ECSA HS eight countries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Swaziland) have harmonized fortification standards of five staple foods; salt, oil, sugar, maize and wheat flour. Guidelines on fortification specifications, composition of fortificants, mixes/premixes and regional harmonized protocols for control, enforcement and penalties of food fortification programs are now available.

USAID and its partners will work on advocacy to foster national commitment and sustainable financing to make these approaches effective.

Trainings and Future Meetings:

 

Contact Person:

Victor Masbayi
Email: vmasbayi@usaid.gov  

---