Public health campaign by Jipmer to reduce incidence of childhood diarrhoeal illnesses

The Hindu

3 days ago

A coordinated health campaign led by Jipmer was carried out to reduce the morbidity burden related to acute diarrhoeal disorders that remain a major public health challenge even though the Union Territory has not reported a diarrhoea-related death in the last five years.
As part of this, Jipmer recently concluded a two-month, diverse-event 'Stop Diarrhoea' campaign that was designed as a comprehensive public health initiative aimed at empowering communities with knowledge and practices for preventing and managing diarrhoeal illnesses, particularly among children under five.
During the culmination of the campaign, Ananthalakshmi, Deputy Director (Health and Family Welfare) and State Nodal Officer, pointed out that the Union Territory, which had an estimated 1,16,368 children aged less than 5 years, had not reported diarrhoeal deaths in the last five years. This, she said, was a testament to the ongoing public health efforts, a press note from Jipmer said.
On the occasion, L.N. Dorairajan, Medical Superintendent, stressed the importance of diarrhoea prevention in India's goal of attaining the under-5 mortality rate.
Gunasekaran Dhandapany, Head of the Department of Paediatrics, Jipmer, pointed out that despite significant advancements in healthcare, India continued to face a substantial challenge with diarrhoeal illnesses, particularly among children.
A recent national survey had raised a red flag with findings indicating that an estimated 140 million children below the age of five (7.2%) experienced diarrhoea in the span of a fortnight prior to the survey, with many of these cases being preventable through basic hygiene.
The Jipmer campaign followed the Health Ministry issuing instructions for all government health facilities to conduct extensive Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) activities.
A team, guided by Jipmer Director Vir Singh Negi, devised the campaign that was led by Ramya Srinivasarangan, Nodal Officer and supported by Santhi Tamilmani, Officer-in-charge, Nursing department.
The preparatory phase in June focused on establishing a robust framework for public engagement. Measures, included prominently displaying a trilingual banner at the entrance of the Women and Child Health (WCH) building in JIPMER, setting up Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) corners and putting up posters at strategic locations, such as patient care areas, including paediatric wards, general OPD, speciality OPDs, NICU, PICU, Casualty, immunisation clinics, postnatal wards, and obstetrics OPD.
In its second phase, the campaign emphasised public outreach and delivery of health education communication in simple local language. The key messages, included essential hygiene practices — when and how to effectively wash hands, and identifying safe food and water sources to prevent diarrhoea.
First aid measures were advocated, with demonstrations of reduced osmolarity WHO ORS preparation, guidance on its proper administration, the significance of zinc supplementation for children with diarrhoea, and the benefits of home-available fluids, Jipmer said.
Outreach teams also stressed the importance of avoiding open-air defecation and seeking prompt medical care for children at the nearest health facility. Interactive sessions allowed the public to ask questions.
The campaign also sought to boost public engagement with events, such as a Rangoli competition, role plays on diarrhoea prevention enacted by senior nursing officers, MSc nursing students, and interns at the Jipmer Rural Health Centre (RHC). A quiz competition on the theme of 'Diarrhoea prevention and management' was conducted for Senior Nursing Officers.
The Jipmer Urban Health Centre at Kurusukuppam and Jipmer Rural Health Centre, Ramanathpuram, were sites of focused outreach programmes on immunisation days, where parents and caretakers received education regarding diarrhoea prevention and management. School visits saw over 500 school students educated about diarrhoea etiology, prevention, danger signs, and management.