Production of zinc tablets and zinc oral solutions - Guidelines for programme managers and pharmaceutical manufacturers
Guidelines on the production of zinc tablets and oral solutions are now available on-line, to assist policy makers and programme managers in the selection and procurement of quality zinc products for use in the prevention and treatment of diarrhoeal diseases in children below five years old. In fact, zinc supplementation has recently been recommended as an adjunct to oral rehydration salts in the management of diarrhoeal diseases in children under-5 and zinc has been included in the 14th Edition of the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines. There is a need to have a product which contains the recommended dose of zinc (only zinc) and formulations which mask the strong metallic after-taste. Zinc sulphate tablets and zinc oral solutions should be manufactured according to the principles of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and comply with the specifications described in the relevant pharmacopeial monographs.
The guidelines focus on zinc sulphate as this is the most widely used zinc salt, other forms including zinc gluconate or zinc acetate, all water-soluble zinc salts. The guidelines describe the specifications for tablets and oral solutions, the evaluation of their acceptability, product formulation and production, registration, quality assurance and inclusion in the National Essential Medicine List, which guides the selection of medicines for procurement and standard treatment guidelines.
Regional workshop for religious leaders to promote good breastfeeding practices as part of the IMCI community component, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic, 2 - 3 June 2007
Religious leaders and national child health programme managers of ministries of health convened to discuss their contributing role to breastfeeding promotion in the region. The workshop, organized by the Regional Office, was co-sponsored by the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Culture Organization (ISESCO). It is part of a series of initiatives carried out by the Regional Office to promote optimal child feeding practices, especially breastfeeding, which are seen as a core element of child healthy growth and development. Religious leaders are important partners: they enjoy trust and respect in the community and are among key influential actors on policies and actions on breastfeeding practices. The workshop brought together 78 people, including 27 participants from 14 countries in the region, a seven-member technical committee, 23 observers from the hosting country, 14 representatives of UN and other international and national organizations, and 7 WHO regional and country staff. The workshop scenario was set with a presentation on "Breastfeeding: between religion and science". Next, after briefly reviewing the advantages of breastfeeding, its impact on child health and sub-optimal performance of breastfeeding indicators in the region, active discussions followed on practices and beliefs on breastfeeding, key simple messages to be promoted and actions which could be undertaken by religious leaders to encourage and support breastfeeding ("breastfeeding in Islam"). Click on the hyperlinks to see information on the workshop and the pamphlet.
New growth charts developed for IMCI guidelines based on new growth standards
New weight-for-age growth charts have been developed for the IMCI guidelines and are now available based on the new growth standards for infant and young children which were released by WHO in 2006. Those international, prescriptive standards, showing how a child should grow, have more recently been introduced in regional and country activities. Endorsed among others by the International Pediatric Association and the UN Standing Committee on Nutrition, they provide an effective tool for detecting both undernutrition and overweight / obesity, thus addressing the double burden of malnutrition. The updated IMCI growth charts include one set for boys and one for girls , if a country opts for sex-specific charts, and one combined for boys and girls developed for ease of use as in the previous generic IMCI growth chart. Click on the hyperlinks to view further information on the WHO child growth standards, the WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study which has provided the data to generate the new growth charts, and the standards.
