Gurugram health department on Tuesday launched the annual STOP Diarrhoea Campaign, a six-week drive aimed at improving awareness, early treatment and prevention of diarrhoeal diseases among children under five years of age.
The campaign, which will run from June 16 to July 31, is being conducted under directions from the Union health ministry and the National Health Mission.
Health officials said the focus will be on promoting the use of oral rehydration solution (ORS) and zinc supplementation, along with hygiene and sanitation practices that help prevent the spread of the disease.
As part of the campaign, ORS packets and zinc tablets will be distributed to households with young children, while dedicated ORS-Zinc corners will be set up at government health facilities, Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs and Anganwadi centres. Frontline health workers, including ASHAs and ANMs, will conduct demonstrations on preparing ORS and identifying signs of dehydration.
Officials said special outreach activities will be carried out in urban slums, migrant settlements, construction sites and other vulnerable communities, where the risk of water- and sanitation-related illnesses is often higher.
The campaign was preceded by an awareness workshop at the Sector 31 Polyclinic, where healthcare workers were trained on diarrhoea management, handwashing practices and safe water storage.
Chief medical officer, Gurugram, Dr Lokveer Singh, said, “Diarrhoea continues to be a significant contributor to under-five child mortality and that timely use of ORS and Zinc, along with proper hygiene and sanitation practices, can prevent almost all diarrhoea-related deaths.”
According to health department officials, Gurugram did not report any confirmed child deaths due to diarrhoea in the previous year. However, diarrhoeal diseases continue to remain a significant public health concern, particularly during the monsoon season, when cases typically rise because of contamination of food and drinking water.
