A fortnight- long Diarrhoea control awareness programme was started at the District Mahila Hospital on Monday with the awareness team and the doctors dwelling on the ways to prevent the disease and giving tips of maintaining sanitation and hygiene.
During the launch of the drive, the additional district magistrate Abhishek Tripathi said that it is a must to spread awareness among the people to counter any problem. Addressing the officials, ADM said, “To control the spread of Diarrhoea, people need to be made aware of the do’s and don’ts for prevention of this water- borne disease, especially in the far- flung areas of the district. The medicines must be made available in these areas too.”
ADM further said that the child mortality rate being high in the district, it must be checked. Aside from the government officials discharging their responsibility, the people from all walks of life must come forward to bring down the infant death rate, he said. laying thrust on the importance of cleanliness, he said that the children must be taught to wash their hands and not defecate in the open. He said that the message of cleanliness must percolate down to the rural people and the young mothers must be taught about cleaning the milk bottles meant for the children.
Chief medical superintendent Arti Dhaundiyal said that during the Diarrhoea control drive, medical camps would be held at various places across the district. ASHA workers would distribute ORS packets by visiting people at their homes and giving directions to wash their hands in the right manner, she added.
She further said that the stress would be laid on making the people aware of maintaining personal hygiene and cleanliness by washing their hands before cooking, after feeding children and also after using toilet with soap and water. “The Diarrhoea patients must be given ORS at fixed intervals and Zinc tablet for 14 days. However, the children aged under two years must not be given this Zinc tablet,” she said.