National STOP Diarrhea Campaign can End Child Deaths from Diarrhea in India
National STOP Diarrhea Campaign 2024 launched by J.P. Nadda, the Union Health Minister of India, can prevent deaths related to diarrhea in children under the age of five years.
Diarrhea is the third leading cause of childhood mortality in India (). "The STOP Diarrhea Campaign aims to attain zero child deaths due to childhood diarrhea," the Health Ministry said.
‘National STOP Diarrhea Campaign 2024 can save the lives of children under the age of five years in India from deaths related to diarrhea. #NationalSTOPDiarrheaCampaign2024 #DiarrheaManagement #ChildhoodMortality’
STOP Diarrhea Campaign 2024
The STOP Diarrhea Campaign, has been rebranded from the long-standing Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDCF) initiative, which began in 2014.Compared to the existing 2-week strategy of pre-positioning ORS, the new strategy involves a 2-month long campaign with pre-positioning of 2 ORS packets and zinc as a co-packaging to under-5 children."Various initiatives of the Union Government like the National Jal Jeevan Mission, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and expansion of the Ayushman Arogya Mandir network has cumulatively helped in reducing childhood mortality due to diarrhea in the country," said Health Minister J.P. Nadda.
The campaign's 2024 slogan, �Diarrhea ki Roktham, Safai aur ORS se rakhen apna dhyaan' highlights the significance of prevention, cleanliness, and appropriate treatment. The campaign will be implemented in two phases -- the Preparatory Phase from June 14 to 30, and the Campaign Phase from July 1 to August 31.
The health minister also emphasized on the importance of sensitizing health workers along with enhancing capacity building efforts to strengthen diarrhea management effort in India.
"If our healthcare workers could reach the remotest corners of the country and administer 220 crore doses of COVID vaccines, I am sure that our frontline healthcare workers can create the same robust delivery mechanism during the STOP Diarrhea Campaign too," J.P. Nadda said.
References:
- Diarrheal diseases among children in India: Current scenario and future perspectives - (https:www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4367049/)
Source: IANS