Govt Launches Stop Diarrhoea Campaign; What’s The Target?

New Delhi: Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare JP Nadda launched the National STOP Diarrhoea Campaign 2024 here on Monday.

The dignitaries, including Nadda’s junior colleagues Anupriya Patel and Shri Jadhav Patraprao Ganpatrao, released IEC (information, education and communication) materials like logo, posters, radio spots and audio visuals for the campaign and distributed oral rehydration salts (ORS) and zinc tablets to children on the occasion.

The STOP Diarrhoea Campaign 2024 targets zero child deaths due to childhood diarrhoea.

The new strategy will see a 2-month campaign with pre-positioning of 2 ORS packets and zinc as a co-packaging to kids under 5 years of age. It will also involve extensive IEC through different platforms and collaborations.

The existing strategy entailed a 2-week campaign with pre-positioning of ORS to under-5 children and limited IEC.

“There is a unique relationship between Mission Indradhanush, Rotavirus vaccine and this STOP Diarrhoea Campaign as all were amongst the first initiatives launched during my earlier tenure as the Health Minister,” said Nadda.

Pointing out the importance of sensitising health workers, Nadda encouraged them to enhance awareness among the masses.

“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 STOP Diarrhoea Campaign too,” he stated.

The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) rebranded its Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDCF) as the STOP Diarrhoea Campaign in 2014.

The current campaign will be implemented in two phases — preparatory phase from June 14 to 30 and campaign phase from July 1 to 31.

Among activities planned during this period are distribution of ORS and Zinc co-packages by ASHA workers to households with children under 5, setting up ORS-Zinc corners at health facilities and Anganwadi centres, and intensifying advocacy and awareness efforts for effective diarrhoea management.