Procuring supplies for children
Zinc Supplementation
Zinc - protecting against diarrhoea
Contaminated drinking water and poor sanitation are two of the causes of acute diarrhoea which contributes to the death of 1.5 million children under five each year. Zinc tablets help protect children from re-infection for up to three months.
Since 2004, UNICEF and WHO have recommended a course of zinc tablets to be combined with Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) for the treatment of the disease. This is reflected in the fact that UNICEF procurement of zinc tablets increased from 20 million tablets in 2006 to more than 150 million in 2008. But this is only a fraction of what is needed to treat children affected worldwide.
UNICEF previously worked with WHO to successfully create and shape the market for ORS, an intervention that has saved countless children’s lives. Building on this, our two agencies are now shaping the market for zinc tablets, extending the pool of suppliers and going to scale to make zinc tablets readily accessible around the world.
In 2006, there was only one supplier identified as compliant with UNICEF requirements for zinc tablets. Following a request from UNICEF, WHO added zinc tablets to its prequalification scheme, further opening the door for potential suppliers by helping them improve the quality of their products. In 2008, Supply Division launched a second bidding exercise in an effort to bolster zinc supplies; and one additional supplier was identified as compliant. Supply Division then issued long term arrangements for just one year to encourage potential new suppliers to improve quickly, in anticipation of a new exercise planned for the second half of 2009.
In the lead up to the third bidding exercise, Supply is utilising $95,000 provided by the US Fund to UNICEF to help shape the zinc market, to identify new potential zinc suppliers and advise them on improving their zinc product dossiers. A consultation with manufacturers will be held in 2009 to explain the technical requirements of UNICEF and WHO, as well as UNICEF’s contractual process. The overall goal is reducing prices and increasing the number of qualified suppliers, including in developing countries.
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Clinton Global Initiative / fighting zinc deficiency
NEW YORK, USA, 24 September 2009 – At the fifth Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative in New York, UNICEF and zinc industry partners announceed a new effort to eliminate zinc deficiency and improve food security in developing countries. Read more.
