Lucknow: In an effort to curb rising cases of diarrhea among children during the monsoon season, the Uttar Pradesh Health Department will launch a special “Diarrhea Prevention Campaign” in Lucknow from July 1.
As part of the initiative, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and other health workers will go door-to-door distributing Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) packets and zinc tablets to households with children under the age of five. Officials say that over 10 lakh ORS packets have already been dispatched to district hospitals and health sub-centres.
The campaign is being run parallel to the ongoing communicable disease prevention program. The move is aimed at both preventing dehydration in sick children and educating families on the correct use of ORS and zinc to manage diarrheal symptoms.
Children showing symptoms will be referred to nearby hospitals, while those who are currently healthy will still receive the ORS kits as a precautionary measure.
Principal Secretary of Medical Health and Family Welfare Parth Sarathi Sen Sharma said the campaign seeks to reduce child morbidity and mortality. Joint Director of the Vector-Borne Disease Division, Dr. Vikas Singhal, emphasized that such proactive efforts during the rainy season can help save lives, especially in areas where diarrheal outbreaks are common. The department has also collected additional requirement inputs from all Chief Medical Officers to ensure uninterrupted supply during the campaign.
