Punjab Government has decided that May 27 to June 1 would be observed as Diarrhoea Prevention Week across the State.
Madan Mohan Mittal, Health Minister, Punjab said that decision has been taken for awareness and health education of the community regarding the prevention and management of diarrhoeal diseases and dehydration, especially among small children as these diseases witness a high trend during the summers resulting in higher mortality due to dehydration.
The Health Minister said that guidelines have been issued to all the Civil Surgeons to send medical teams in all Government schools to impart health education regarding prevention, treatment of diarrhoea as well as administration of ORS & Zinc. He added that all health institutions in the state have been directed to maintain adequate quantities of ORS and Zinc supplementation.
Expressing concern, Mittal said that Diarrhoea remains an important contributor to childhood deaths in India, being one of the top five causes of death among infants and children (14 per cent). In India, a child suffers from 3-4 episodes of diarrhoea per year. Therefore, health education to the community regarding prevention of diarrhoeal is extremely important.