TEZPUR, June 13 - Along with the rest of the nation, the District Health Society of Sonitpur launched the Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight centrally at the Kanaklata Civil Hospital here yesterday.
The programme was inaugurated by the ADC of Sonitpur, Krishan Kumar Sarma. Inaugurating the programme, he said that diarrhoea is the major cause of child mortality under five years of age owing to use of unsafe drinking water, improper handwashing etc. He urged every person to participate in the programme in order to disseminate proper information among the masses in the collective effort to control diarrhoea and other communicable diseases.
Emphasising the importance of the programme, District Nodal Officer Dr Durlov Chandra Saikia said that the fortnight which began on June 12 will end on June 24.
�Under the scheme, our health workers will provide doorstep ORS packets to each under-five-year-old child by visiting every household. In this venture, altogether 1,876 health workers will be involved, who will distribute 2,81,400 packets of ORS in Sonitpur district alone. If any diarrhoea case is detected during their visit, they will provide 10 mg of elemental zinc for 14 days. They will also demonstrate proper handwashing technique and how to prepare ORS.�
�Under the programme, the RBSK team with school teacher will demonstrate proper handwashing technique and conduct awareness meetings on prevention and control of diarrhoea,� Dr Saikia said, adding that, �about 3,00,000 children die in India every year due to diarrhoea, which has been a major public health concern in the country.�
�Diarrhoea cases are common during the summer season. Poor sanitation and unhygienic conditions become risk factors. The mode of water transportation, poor handling of water at the household level, presence of waste water in the street, refuge storage, collection and disposal, domestic water reservoir, faeces disposal and presence of vectors predispose the under-five minors to diarrhoea,� he maintained.
He also stated that oral rehydration therapy (ORT) with ORS remains the cornerstone of appropriate case management of diarrhoeal dehydration and is considered the single-most effective strategy to prevent diarrhoea deaths in children. Zinc supplementation (10 mg of elemental zinc for 14 days for children aged 2-6 months and 20 mg/day for older children) has the potential to reduce morbidity and mortality by reducing the duration and severity of diarrhoeal episodes and lowering their incidence.
Dr DC Saikia also emphasised that for prevention of diarrhoeal diseases, use of safe drinking water, handwashing, food safety, safe disposal of excreta, promoting exclusive breastfeeding and immunisation against measles are major factors.
�Handwashing before preparing food is a particularly important opportunity to prevent childhood diarrhoea and it works best when it is part of a package of behaviour change interventions. Washing hands after defecating or handling children�s faeces and before handling food entails an average of 32 hand washes a day,� he said.
Parag Saikia, District Programme Manager of NHM Sonitpur also spoke on the subject and urged all concerned to extend their helping hand to make the programme a grand success.
