Impact of co-packaging oral rehydration salts and zinc on diarrhoea treatment dispensing behaviour in selected rural health facilities in Zambia.

Co-packaged oral rehydration salts (ORS) and zinc for the treatment of childhood diarrhoea was added to the World Health Organization's Essential Medicines List in 2019, to help address the persistently high mortality and morbidity associated with diarrhoea in children under 5 years of age and the low uptake of the recommended co-therapy. However, little empirical evidence exists on how co-packaging impacts dispensing practices in low-resource settings. Here, we present findings from a study conducted in Mongu District, Zambia, aimed at evaluating the effect of introducing a co-pack containing ORS and zinc on dispensing behaviour at rural health facilities.

Institutionalizing Innovation: From Pilot to Scale for Co-Packaged Oral Rehydration Salts and Zinc-A Case Study in Zambia.

We document the development and institutionalization in Zambia of a health innovation for diarrhea treatment aimed at children aged younger than 5 years: a unique oral rehydration salts and zinc (ORSZ) co-pack. Seven recommendations from the World Health Organization/ExpandNet are used retrospectively to analyze and describe the successful scale-up of this innovation from its concept stage, including in-country expansion and policy, institutional, and regulatory changes. The 7 recommendations comprise using a participatory process, tailoring to the country context, designing research to test the innovation, testing the innovation, identifying success factors, and scaling up.

Vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics for covid-19: redesigning systems to improve pandemic response.

propose a framework to ensure essential public health tools are fairly distributed in future pandemics