Comprehensive Micronutrient Strategy in Africa

In Africa, the social and economic costs associated with infectious disease are greater than in any other part of the world. HIV, malaria, diarrhea, measles, blindness, and tuberculosis are collectively strangling much of the continent. Yet simple micronutrient programs can significantly improve this situation. For example, it's been shown that adequate levels of vitamin A can all but eliminate preventable blindness and the risk of dying from diarrhea and malaria decrease from 21% to 13% with proper levels of zinc and vitamin A. Two million children die each year from measles, yet the death rate can be significantly reduced with proper micronutrient levels. It is now widely believed that death from HIV infection is significantly lower among patients with adequate levels of iron, vitamin A, and zinc.

Rwanda

Since 2007 PHC has been working with the Rwandan government to design and implement a country-wide strategy for tackling the urgent health care problems addressable through better micronutrient nutrition. Working with the Rwandan government, PHC, in association with our technical partners, is in the process of collecting the necessary data to design a comprehensive mandatory food fortification program. In addition, because a large percentage of the population eats foods that are not centrally processed, we hope to complete the design of a small-scale fortification program in 2010 that will allow small rural mills to fortify their grains as well.

Malawi

In 2009, Project Healthy Children and the Government of Malawi began a partnership to address the micronutrient deficiencies through the implementation of a comprehensive and sustainable National Food Fortification Program to be coordinated by the National Fortification Alliance. In Malawi, the practice of fortification started in 1995 with legislation requiring that iodine be added to salt and standards exist to guide the fortification of cooking oil and maize meal. Through this program, the mandatory fortification of sugar with vitamin A is expected to start in 2010.

Liberia

Food fortification has been identified as a component of the Liberian Food Security and Nutrition Strategy to promote better food utilization and improved nutritional status. In 2010, Project Healthy Children began working with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to design and implement a national fortification program. Data will be collected on consumption, production and importation of staple foods in order to inform legislation and regulations.