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WASHINGTON, DC, April 1, 2004 — PSI/Bolivia continues to pioneer the social marketing of nutritional products in PSI's ever-expanding maternal and child health portfolio with the introduction of vitamin A-fortified cooking oil. Bolivia, where PSI first marketed a safe water system and multivitamins, will launch PSI's only fortified product aside from iodized salt in May 2004 with support from the Micronutrient Initiative (MI). The program aims to reduce vitamin A deficiency (VAD) through increased household use of vitamin A-fortified vegetable oil, especially among the country's rural population. PSI/Bolivia will secure advantageous product placement on retailer shelves, create and distribute point-of-purchase materials providing information on the benefits of fortified oil, educate retailers on its importance and conduct knowledge, attitudes and practices studies. PSI/Bolivia's activities will support the combined efforts of the MI, the World Food Program, the Bolivian Ministry of Health and local cooking oil producers in their implementation of the Bolivia Oil Fortification Program. Bolivia Country Director Melissa Rendler-Garcia explained the significance of the program: "Bolivia is the poorest country in South America and has the second highest rate of maternal and child mortality in the Western Hemisphere (second only to Haiti). [Studies estimate that] approximately 50% of the Bolivian population suffers from some level of vitamin A deficiency, which adversely affects respiratory and gastrointestinal functions. So, children suffering from this deficiency are more likely to become ill and/or die from common childhood diseases such as diarrhea or pneumonia. This program focuses on reducing the impact that VAD has on child mortality and morbidity." The highest rates of infectious disease deaths attributable to nutritional deficiencies are in sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia, and the Andean region of South America. A vitamin A deficient child faces a 25% greater risk of dying from a range of childhood ailments such as measles, malaria or diarrhea, according to UNICEF. VAD is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children, night blindness in pregnant women and may increase the risk of maternal mortality. A key element to a successful fortification program is to locate a staple food that goes through some kind of milling or fabrication process during which it can be fortified with a vitamin or mineral. Cooking oil is a staple food in Bolivian diets that is centrally processed and, because vitamin A is fat soluble, vegetable oil is a good and stable carrier of the vitamin. Natural sources of vitamin A can be found in milk, eggs, red and orange fruit and dark green leafy vegetables but low-income families are often unable to consume enough of these foods to meet their daily dietary requirements. In meeting individual needs, especially those of children, vitamin A has been added to staple foods, such as flour, sugar and margarine to prevent deficiencies. While Bolivia's infant mortatilty rate has dropped and maternal and child mortality rates are expected to fall thanks to current inverventions, chronic malnutrition still perisits, says UNICEF. But Bolivia has proven to be a fertile launching ground for nutritional products because of its sophisticated consumer market, accessible mass media, organized distribution channels, active donor community and a low HIV prevalence rate. — Dan Nichols, PSI/Washington
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