Children under five get improved diarrhoea treatment in Kano, Sokoto
The Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), Nutrition International, and the Government of Canada, in partnership with Kano and Sokoto states have teamed up for the second phase of the Project on ‘Scaling Up Zinc and LO-ORS to Improve Childhood Diarrhoea Treatment in Northern Nigeria’.
This project seeks to continue its intervention in reducing the number of deaths due to poor treatment of diarrhoea among children under five years in Nigeria, by 2024.
Speaking on the project’s second phase, Founder-President, WBFA, Toyin Saraki, said the intervention would continue to be impactful, as it commenced the second phase by increasing treatment, access, and distribution of Zinc/Lo-ORS co-packs within northern Nigeria and provide the trusted frontline health care support and community follow-up needed.
“By strengthening resilience in the immediate forefront of treatment for diarrhoea, this life-saving care will improve health outcomes and equity in Kano and Sokoto states.”
Spread across 22 local council agencies in Kano and Sokoto, the programme would support the states to increase and sustain availability and access to Zinc and LO-ORS commodities by strengthening their Drug Revolving Fund (DRF) schemes.
The Nutrition International’s Country Director, Dr. Osita Okonkwo, said: “Nutrition International is contributing to the reduction in the number of deaths due to diarrhoea by improving prompt health-seeking behaviour among caregivers, capacity strengthening for health service providers and sustaining availability and access to quality Zinc and LO-ORS commodities in public health facilities as well as support effective implementation of complementary drug revolving schemes in all states. This project is made possible with funding support from the Government of Canada”
The programme began in August 2022 and will run through July 2023. It will continue to promote the use of Zinc and LO-ORS, as the first-line treatment for diarrheal disease for children, and best hygiene practices for the prevention of diarrhoeal disease in underserved northern states in Nigeria.
