On August 27, 2012, the Kenyan Poisons and Pharmacy Board approved an appeal to reclassify zinc from a prescription medicine—only available at hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies with the prescription from a trained health professional—to an over-the-counter treatment. With the passage of the new classification, zinc can be made available from community health workers, chemists, shops, and rural kiosks for use by caregivers with children under five years old who are suffering from diarrhea. The increased access to zinc is expected to allow caregivers to quickly access treatment after a child shows signs of diarrheal disease—the second leading killer of children under five years old in Kenya—leading to fewer child deaths.

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