‘Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight’ launched aiming at zero childhood diarrhoea death

New Delhi, June 13 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Health, Bharati Pravin Pawar, on Monday launched the Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDCF)-2022, to be implemented from June 13 to 27 to attain zero child death due to diarrhoea.

“According to the latest report of SRS-2019, child mortality rate in the country has come down since 2014. This rate came down from 45 per 1000 live births in 2014 to 35 in 2019. But even today, diseases related to diarrhoea continue to be a major cause of death in children under the age of five,” said Pawar while launching the programme.

Pawar said, “Dehydration is the biggest cause of diarrhoea in children and other reasons include a change in the baby’s diet to make up for a change in the mother’s diet when breastfeeding; use of antibiotics by the baby, or use by the mother while breastfeeding, or any type of bacterial or parasitic infection.”

Signifying the importance of prevention and mitigation methods, she said that according to the latest survey (NFHS-5) conducted by the Ministry, only 60.6 per cent children under the age of five with diarrhoea were given ORS and only 30.5 per cent were given zinc. This means that there is lack of awareness among mothers, she added, while stressing on awareness campaigns to bring down the rate of child mortality due to diarrhoea to the minimum level.

Pawar informed that the Intensive Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDCF) is being organized since 2014 with an objective to ‘bring the number of deaths due to diarrhoea in childhood to zero’.

She further added that a multi-sectoral participation approach at various governance levels for better impacts like mass awareness generation, rallies, competitions in schools, state and district level launch by leaders will be beneficial in achieving the target.

“Diarrhoea can be prevented through safe drinking water, breastfeeding, appropriate nutrition, and hygiene measures like hand-washing,” she said.

–IANS

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