Projects and Initiatives

2010 activities and projects include the following:

• CDC has a 5-year cooperative agreement with UNICEF (2009-2014) for multiple in-country projects and regional workshops.  In one of these projects, IMMPaCt and UNICEF are developing a comprehensive evaluation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to determine the most effective way to deliver micronutrient supplementation to children aged 6 to 24 month and are at risk for deficiencies. IMMPaCt provided technical assistance and expertise to help Kyrgyzstan scale-up their multiple micronutrient powder project, which was successful at reducing micronutrient deficiencies in the pilot phase.
• CDC has a 5-year cooperative agreement (2009-2014) with the World Health Organization for 12 projects. In one of these projects, IMMPaCt is helping to upgrade, expand and maintain the Vitamin and Mineral Nutrition Information System (VMNIS) which currently includes databases on anemia, iodine deficiency, and vitamin A deficiency worldwide, and is being expanded to include laboratory and indicator databases.  
• IMMPaCt is working with Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) on projects in Kenya, Jordan, and the Dominican Republic. In Jordan, a national nutrition follow-up survey was conducted to measure the impact of the improved wheat flour fortification program. In the Dominican Republic, IMMPaCt is developing a baseline assessment for fortifying wheat flour and sugar.  In Jordan, IMMPaCt is assisting the national team in developing a proposal for the micronutrient follow-up survey late in 2009.
• In March 2007, IMMPaCt joined with the Safe Water and AIDS Project and other partners to implement the Nyando Integrated Child Health and Education Project (NICHE) in Kenya. This project is an effectiveness study that combines social marketing with mobilizing local institutions to promote the sale of Sprinkles^TM (multi micronutrient powder) along with other health products. Prior to this project, Sprinkles^TM had not been introduced in Kenya. Sprinkles^TM are marketed to the families of children aged 6 to 59 months of age and are distributed by vendors who sell health products to their neighbors.
• IMMPaCt is collaborating with researchers at Beijing University to conduct a study in China on the value of providing iron and multi-micronutrient supplements to women during pregnancy. Researchers will study the impact on neonatal mortality, morbidity, and complications during pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Currently, 17,000 pregnant women have been enrolled and are being followed.
• The Flour Fortification Initiative (FFI) is a network of individuals and organizations from the public, private, and civic sectors that are working to make flour fortification standard practice.  IMMPaCt sustains the FFI global secretariat and is a key member of FFI's Executive Management Team, providing financial and technical support.
• A Survey Toolkit for Nutritional Assessment is being developed to support countries in eliminating vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The toolkit helps countries conduct micronutrient surveys by providing resources from a variety of sources, including survey managers from CDC and other agencies.
• The CDC/National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) laboratory is conducting a study to determine cut-offs for retinol-binding protein (RBP) for estimating vitamin A deficiency. The study will use 200 randomly selected samples from several national nutrition surveys to analyze the serum retinol levels and then compare those levels with RBP levels measured by an outside collaborating lab.
• Since 2001, IMMPaCt has provided technical support to the national nutrition monitoring system (SIVIN) in Nicaragua. The system ensures the availability of regular and reliable data at both national and regional levels on interventions and their impact on vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
• In collaboration with UNICEF, IMMPaCt provided financial support and technical assistance for a Workshop for Latin American countries on increasing the use of pediatric multiple micronutrient powders to a national level. The workshop was held in Spring, 2010, in Mexico.
• In collaboration with CDC's Division of Reproductive Health, IMMPaCt provides technical assistance on the nutritional components of international reproductive health surveys.
• IMMPaCt is investigating the iodine status of women of childbearing age in the United States, using data from NHANES 2001—2006.

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