The ministry has also partnered with various other health agencies including UNICEF to ramp up the programme
Intensifying its efforts to curb the instances of deaths due to diarrhoea among children below the age of five years, the Union Health Ministry has launched “The Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDCF), which will be observed from July 11 to 23.
The nationwide programme is organised by the Health Ministry for the second year, which aims to reach out to over 10 crore children with ORS solution this year from 6.3 crore last year.
Launching the ‘Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight 2016’ in New Delhi, CK Mishra, additional secretary to the health ministry said, “The initiative cannot stop deaths due to diarrhoea but it can prevent deaths one of the most common childhood illnesses. The ASHA workers will visit all households with children below five years of age for pre-positioning the ORS. We will have 3.5 lakh ORS-Zinc corners set up at healthcare facilities and non health facilities such as schools and anganwadi centres which shall demonstrate the way to administer ORS and Zinc to children who are in need of these during diarrhoea.”
The ministry has also partnered with various other health agencies including UNICEF to ramp up the programme.
In order to ensure a sturdy mechanism for monitoring, this year, 23 national monitors shall assess the efficacy of the activities. This shall be complemented by monitors from the state governments and development partners.
According to the Health Ministry, although various virus, bacteria and protozoa like rotavirus, E.coli amongst others cause diarrhoea, the main reasons for diarrhoeal attacks amongst children are contaminated water, malnutrition, inadequate sanitation, poor hygiene and lack of immunisation.
ORS, considered to be an most effective low cost treatment diarrhoea, has low penetration, with only 54 per cent sick children getting administered with the solution. While Zinc tablets are given only to 12 percent of the children.