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Diarrhoeal diseases are the
leading cause of death among children under the age of five in
South Africa, accounting for approximately 40% of deaths in this
group. Globally over 3 million deaths are reported resulting from
diarrhoea of which 80% are children below 5 years of age.
Diarrhoea can be caused by
viruses, bacteria or by a mixed infection. Rotavirus (not
treatable with antibiotics) is the main causative viral agent
among children and a number of bacteria (Salmonella, Shigella,
Escherichia coli, etc.) have been associated with forms of
gastroenteritis. Both, the antibiotic treatment and rehydration
are expensive and frequently require hospitalization.
Certain naturally occurring
intestinal bacteria protect humans from intestinal infections.
However, they are depleted during periods of malnutrition,
antibiotic treatment, stress or when an infant has compromised
immunity. With the natural protective bacteria depleted intestinal
infections occur readily of which the most common symptom is
diarrhoea. These protective intestinal bacteria have been isolated
from healthy infants and can be cultivated in the laboratory to be
re-introduced in sufficient numbers into the intestinal tract of
infants and young children.
Existing baby and young children
breakfast cereals can be fortified with these health-promoting
bacteria, probiotics. However, the bacteria need to be
refrigerated to sustain their viability. Product development is
needed to maintain the probiotics' viability at room temperature,
in order to include them into the existing infant formulas and
baby cereals. Various ways of incorporating the probiotics into
the foods or other methods of administration will be investigated,
such as micro-encapsulation of the bacteria into a chemical matrix
or packaging materials that would protect the bacteria. The
introduction of these life saving products would introduce to
South Africa new technologies that will improve the quality of the
lives of the children of South Africa, especially that of infants. |