The information on this site is subject to a disclaimer and a copyright notice . A North-South research partnership to combat infant mortality Numerous children in developing countries die every year when it is time for them to be weaned. The cause can be traced to the contamination of their new food by bacteria and viruses which cause severe, and often fatal, diarrhoea. British and Malaysian researchers have discovered a simple technique, food fermentation, which makes it possible to check this devastating epidemic. E very year, almost five million children, mainly in developing countries, are affected by severe types of diarrhoea and die as a result.
Mothers usually prepare a large quantity of rice at a time.
They then feed their babies with this gradually, sometimes over the course of several days. To avoid bacterial proliferation in the food, which is extremely swift in hot climates, it should ideally be sterilised by repeated boiling after each use. But the conditions in which these impoverished populations live mean that such a hygiene rule is seldom applied and is in any case quite foreign to local customs. Simple actions After numerous and often lengthy analyses, the research made it possible to identify a food hygiene practice which was not only reliable, but also easily applicable in the context of the target populations. The action required of mothers is very straightforward.