Nadda launches STOP Diarrhoea Campaign, says aim to attain zero deaths due to childhood diarrhoea

New Delhi, Jun 24 (PTI) Union Health Minister JP Nadda launched the STOP Diarrhoea Campaign, aimed at attaining zero deaths due to childhood diarrhoea, on Monday.

While the existing diarrhoea strategy entailed a two-week campaign with pre-positioning of ORS to children under the age of five and limited IEC (Information, Education and Communication), the new strategy involves a two-month campaign with pre-positioning of two ORS packets and zinc as a co-packaging to these children.

"The goal behind the STOP Diarrhoea Campaign is to attain zero deaths due to childhood diarrhoea," Nadda said.

"There is a unique relationship between Mission Indradhanush, rotavirus vaccine and this STOP Diarrhoea Campaign as all were among the first initiatives launched during my earlier tenure as health minister," he said.

Nadda said various government initiatives cumulatively helped in reducing childhood mortality due to diarrhoea.

He highlighted that India was the first country to introduce the rotavirus vaccine in 2014. Similarly, the National Jal Jeevan Mission, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and expansion of the Ayushman Arogya Mandir network significantly contributed to the reduction of diarrhoea cases and mortality in the country.

The minister emphasised the importance of sensitising health workers along with enhancing capacity-building efforts to strengthen diarrhoea management efforts.

Expressing appreciation for the states' preparedness level, Nadda encouraged them to increase mass awareness.

"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 Diarrhoea Campaign," he stated.

Noting that "only healthy children lead to a healthy nation", Union Minister of State for Health Jadhav Prataprao stressed on more effort being put in place to prevent diarrhoea.

He also urged the officials to focus on cleanliness and setting diarrhoea prevention targets, in addition to providing ORS and zinc tablets to children.

Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel said it is distressing that childhood diarrhoea, which is both preventable and curable, causes so many loss of lives.

She urged representatives from states and other organisations to "re-energise their efforts and increase awareness on diarrhoea to reach the goal of zero childhood deaths due to diarrhoea".

Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra said diarrhoea is a common disease faced by children.

"Earlier the government used to run a fortnightly campaign to reduce diarrhoea which is now reinvigorated into a much extensive and comprehensive campaign," he said. PTI PLB SZM