Diarrhoea is one of the leading causes of death among children under five globally. In Jharkhand also diarrhoeal deaths constitute major portion of the children’s death.
According to the State chief of the UNICEF Job Zachariah, 15 per cent of total deaths among the children below age of five are accounted for by diarrhoea.
The World Health Organisation defines Diarrhoea as the passage of three or more loose or liquid stools per day, or more frequently than is normal for the individual which is usually a symptom of gastrointestinal infection, caused by a variety of bacterial, viral and parasitic organisms.
Giving reference of the latest census data Job said that there were 45,000 deaths of children per annum in the State out of which around 6750 (15 per cent) deaths are diarrhoeal deaths. And he said that most of diarrhoeal deaths could be prevented if clean water is consumed.
“Though all these diarrhoeal death can’t be prevented from happening but we can prevent at least 6,000 of these deaths through consumption of non-contaminated water,” Job said.
He was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the two day ‘Workshop on Communication Strategies for Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA)’ orgainsed in the State capital in run up to the World Water Day on 22 March.
Furthering the debate of the non-contaminated water -- diarrhoea and associating it with NBA Job and other key note speakers opined that the NBA has got scant penetration and this has a lot to do with not only diarrhoea but other deadly water born diseases.
As per the NBA families of BPl and APl (having incomes lower than a particular minimum) categories are to be given financial assistances up to Rs. 4,000-5,000 to construct and use toilets in their homes. Around 75 per cent of the State’s population is entitled to the assistance.
“But only four per cent of the families have got toilets. They defecate in open. One gram of the human waste carry one crore of germs. The waste mixes with drinking water and food and contaminates it. This has to be checked through better awareness about sanitation and efficient NBA penetration,” Job said.
Among the other practice that could contribute in fight diarrhoeal death is the use of soaps for washing hands before taking food and after visiting the loo, of course apart from the use of toilets.