Zinc and duration of treatment of severe malnutrition

Abstract

In their report of the treatment of severe malnutrition, Khanum and colleagues (Dec 24/31, p 1728) consider providing "additional micronutrients in the future" and in their response, Brewster and Manary (Feb 18, p 453 are convinced of the importance of zinc supplements in malnutrition but say that they found it "very arduous to actually obtain any zinc for human use". We have used zinc supplementation in severely malnourished children at the Materno-Infantil German Urquid Hospital (Cochabamba, Bolivia) and at the Centro de Rehabilitación immuno-Nutricional (CRIN).