Our Work

CDC’s International Micronutrient Malnutrition Prevention and Control (IMMPaCt) program works to reduce vitamin and mineral deficiencies globally. In collaboration with multiple partners, the work primarily benefits women of child-bearing age, infants, children, and adolescents.

US Projects

Iron and iodine are critical for healthy birth outcomes, fetal and child growth, and brain development. Yet the United States has no state-level data on iron or iodine status among pregnant women and children younger than five years. CDC conducts surveillance and research to support US micronutrient nutrition policy and programmatic efforts by:

• Supporting ways to improve national surveillance.
• Innovating to fill data gaps.
• Improving case definitions for micronutrient malnutrition.
• Reviewing existing state-based data to identify innovative ways to fill data gaps.

Country Projects

IMMPaCt provides technical assistance, training, and/or funding for projects in 8 to 10 countries at a time. Currently IMMPaCt is working in the following countries and projects:

• Bangladesh and Ghana—iron and folic acid supplements for adolescents.
• Nepal—integrated infant and young child feeding and micronutrient powder program.
• Burkina Faso, Nepal, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Tanzania—national micronutrient surveys.
• Guatemala and Uganda—nutrition surveillance systems.

IMMPaCt works with several global partners on these projects including the United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO), US Agency for International Development, Nutritional International (NI), and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Initiatives and Activities

3-D body imaging
Accurate anthropometry—or body measurement—is essential to understanding malnutrition which limits healthy growth and development. With funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CDC is evaluating an innovative 3-D body imaging tool for accurate body measurements.

Biomarkers Reflecting Inflammation and Nutritional Determinants of Anemia (BRINDA)
BRINDAexternal icon is a multi-agency international collaboration formed in 2012 to improve micronutrient assessment and anemia characterization globally. BRINDA’s overall goal is to refine approaches to estimate the prevalence of nutritional status. This will improve the targeting, design and effectiveness of nutrition research and programs.

Food Fortification Initiative (FFI)
FFIexternal icon champions effective fortification of industrially milled flour and rice globally through multi-sector partnerships. CDC provides technical support and has observer status on FFI’s Executive Management Team.

Global Alliance for Vitamin A (GAVA)
GAVAexternal icon shares information and lessons learned about vitamin A supplementation in the context of other vitamin A deficiency control and child survival programs. GAVA is a forum for organizations, policy makers and program implementers to develop policies and tools to improve vitamin A supplementation. CDC participates in various technical working groups.

Home Fortification Technical Advisory Group (HF-TAG)
HF-TAGexternal icon is a global network of stakeholders engaged in home fortification. They lead and support well-designed and effective home fortification interventions at scale for children and women, based on sound technical guidance and best practices. CDC is represented on the Executive Committee and participates in developing various technical documents.

Iodine Global Network (IGN)
IGNexternal icon is a global network working towards sustainable elimination of iodine deficiency worldwide. CDC is represented on the Board of Directors and participates in various technical workgroups.

Laboratory
IMMPaCt works closely with two branches of CDC’s Division of Laboratory Sciences–Nutritional Biomarkers and Inorganic and Radiation Analytical Toxicology. These labs provide technical assistance and collaboration for CDC’s projects and run external quality assurance programs.

Micronutrient Forum
CDC is represented on the Micronutrient Forum’s Scientific Advisory Councilexternal icon. The Micronutrient Forum is a global effort to bridge scientific advances with policies and programs across multiple sectors. The goal is to ensure micronutrient adequacy for survival and optimal health throughout the life cycle.

Research
IMMPaCt’s research activities enhance the evidence-base of micronutrient interventions, assessment, monitoring, and surveillance. The research findings lead to improved micronutrient program effectiveness and help develop technical resources of wide impact.

Survey eManual/Toolkit
A survey eManual/Toolkitexternal icon provides epidemiological support to countries to assess and monitor the elimination of micronutrient malnutrition. This survey eManual/toolkit provides a set of new and established resources from many sources and is intended for use by survey planners who need ready-made materials. IMMPaCt developed the newest edition of the survey eManual/toolkit in collaboration with WHO, UNICEF, and NI.

UNICEF
CDC and UNICEF’s Nutrition Sectionexternal icon work together to combat micronutrient malnutrition. Priority strategies are home fortification, vitamin A supplementation, iron and folic acid supplementation, micronutrient supplementation, salt iodization, and monitoring, evaluation, and nutrition surveillance of large-scale nutrition specific programs.

World Health Organization (WHO)
CDC works with WHO’s Department of Nutrition for Health and Developmentexternal icon to develop the evidence base for micronutrient interventions, policies, recommendations and best practices. This includes technical support for the Vitamin and Mineral Nutrition Information System.