title: The role of nutrition in primary health care. Practical considerations for the vaccination programme in Kaya, Burkina Faso.
abstract: A programme of intervention in problems of nutrition is presented as part of a vaccination programme such as the one carried out in Kaya, Burkina Faso. In this region the most widespread type of malnutrition is essentially 'energy-malnutrition' more than 'protein-malnutrition'; other more specific deficiencies are observed: it concerns iron, folates and vitamin A. As a consequence the first aim of intervention is to eradicate the protein-energy-malnutrition. To achieve this a specialized health worker will have to trace first the undernourished children (either by measuring their arm circumference of with the aid of a thinness diagram). The he/she will propose a programme of nutritional rehabilitation using locally available products, which will be completed with a demonstration of oral rehydration. The promotion of adequate nutrition and of vaccination against major infectious diseases are two of the indispensable activities as parts of primary health care. Starting from the nutritional situation prevailing in Burkina Faso we propose concrete interventions which will be applied among others in the vaccination programme in Kaya province.
mesh_terms: D002050:Burkina Faso; D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D014611:Vaccination