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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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6

Single Pill Can Halt Diarrhea's Deadly Reign

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(Newser) – Diarrhea kills 1.6 million children under 5 every year—more than AIDS or malaria—and gets a fraction of the funding. But a deceptively simple new treatment may mark a breakthrough, Time reports. Zinc supplements appear to dramatically decrease diarrhea-related deaths—one afflicted village in Mali hasn’t had a single death since the pills arrived. Zinc “has totally taken off,” a researcher says. “It looks like real medicine and is not given out for free.”

The entire treatment costs less than 30 cents, and a single dose lasts an entire season. It’s still not clear how exactly zinc fights diarrhea; the researcher suggests that zinc boosts the immune system, helping the body fight off diarrhea’s worst effects. Still, the people in charge are paying attention: several African governments have started zinc programs, and some 20 companies worldwide are manufacturing the pills.

A child suffering from severe diarrhea is treated at a clinic of the International Medical Corps in a displaced people's camp, Monday, Nov. 3, 2008 in Kibati north of Goma in eastern Congo.
A child suffering from severe diarrhea is treated at a clinic of the International Medical Corps in a displaced people's camp, Monday, Nov. 3, 2008 in Kibati north of Goma in eastern Congo.   (AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo)
A mother feeds oral saline to her child at a hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh. According to International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, the number of diarrhea patients is increasing everyday.
A mother feeds oral saline to her child at a hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh. According to International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, the number of diarrhea patients is increasing everyday.   (AP Photo/Pavel Rahman)
A young diarrhea patient is administered water at a hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Aug. 19, 2007.
A young diarrhea patient is administered water at a hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Aug. 19, 2007.   (AP Photo/Pavel Rahman)
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6 comments
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kokuaguy
Aug 9, 09 2:17 PM CDT
Wow !!! Reply
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+4
kokuaguy
Aug 9, 09 2:22 PM CDT
Awhile back I heard of a fancy "drinking straw" that had been invented and was fairly cheap to produce which could filter out pathogens from a serving of drinking water. I hope it is also being widely distributed in Africa, along with the DDT infused mosquito nets that cut down on malaria. Reply
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+2
JayJay
Aug 9, 09 4:02 PM CDT
finally! a real breakthrough! Reply
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+5
riffran
Aug 9, 09 9:24 PM CDT
there is a packet you can add to water that binds with foreign particle in the water to purify it....the inventor actually put dog shit in a big bucket and used it to clean, and then drink the water...omg Reply
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0
binarypower
Aug 10, 09 5:54 AM CDT
That's a giant fucking pill... http://img2.newser.com/image/232535-6-20090809131938.image Reply
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