Tarun Karthick
Campbell Bay, 19 June 2023
The National Health Policy 2019 has set a target to reduce childhood mortality to 23 per 1,000 live births by 2025. To achieve this goal, one of the key focuses is addressing childhood diarrhoeal diseases, which continue to be a leading cause of death among children under the age of five in many states.
Diarrhoea is identified when there is a change in the usual pattern of stools, with an increase in frequency and watery consistency. Almost all diarrhoea-related deaths can be prevented through the timely prevention and treatment of dehydration using Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) and the administration of Zinc tablets, accompanied by adequate nutritional intake by the affected child.
Effective prevention strategies for diarrhoea include exclusive and continued breastfeeding, the timely introduction of appropriate and safe complementary feeding, the use of safe drinking water, regular hand-washing, improved sanitation practices, and timely immunization.
In line with these objectives, the Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDCF) will be observed from 19th June to 1st July, 2023, with the ultimate aim of achieving ‘Zero Child Deaths’ due to childhood diarrhoea. During this period, a series of intensified activities will be implemented to prevent and control deaths caused by dehydration resulting from diarrhoea.
The activities planned for IDCF 2023 include an intensified focus on advocacy and awareness generation for diarrhoea management, strengthening service provision for the management of diarrhoeal cases, establishment of ORS-Zinc corners, prepositioning of ORS and Zinc by Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) in households with children under the age of five, and awareness generation campaigns on hygiene and sanitation.
By emphasizing preventive measures and implementing targeted interventions, the Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight aims to significantly reduce childhood diarrhoea-related deaths. This initiative aligns with the broader goal of the National Health Policy 2019 to improve child health outcomes and achieve a substantial reduction in childhood mortality rates.