ORSZCA applauds the clarification made last week by the Global Financing Facility (GFF) to their Reclaim the Gains campaign endorsing the importance of Zinc together with ORS in the treatment of diarrhoea.

Reclaim the Gains stands out as being the most significant current global initiative aimed at improving access to diarrhoea treatment. It is essential that such a significant effort is inline with the current WHO and UNICEF treatment recommendations.

Over the last 3 months ORSZCA has been engaged in a positive and productive dialogue with GFF which has resulted in their reference to “oral rehydration treatment” being amended to “oral rehydration solution and zinc treatment”. This simple change could save hundreds of thousands more young lives.

This important, top level clarification leaves the question open as to how the global community might ensure that children receive both ORS and Zinc in practice. All the available evidence seems to point to co-packaging  as the best way to ensure this. Please see: Is co-packaging of ORS and Zinc important?