Aarogya - The Wellness Site

Most of the pathogenic organisms that cause Diarrhea and all the pathogens that are known to be major causes of Diarrhea are transmitted primarily or exclusively by the faeco–oral route. Faeco oral transmission may be waterborne, food borne, or direct transmission which implies an array of other faeco oral routes such as via fingers, or fomites, or dirt which may be ingested by young children.

Prevention of Acute Diarrheal Disease
Poor weaning practices are a major risk factor for diarrhea. The child should be weaned before six months of life. The substitute foods should be of good nutritive value.

How to Prevent Transmission?
Diarrhoea is major Public Health problem in Maharashtra. Especially children under age of 5 years. The total diarrhoeal morbidity is as high as 1/3 of its first 2 years of life. So it is meant to prevent diarrhoeal diseases by taking appropriate preventive actions.

Sanitation
Measures to Reduce Transmission Emphasize

• The traditional improved water supply
• Improved excreta disposal and
• Improved domestic and food hygiene.
• Simple hygienic measures like hand washing, with soap
  • Before preparing food,
  • Before eating,
  • Before feeding a child, after defecation,
  • After cleaning a child who has defecated and
  • After disposing of a child`s stool, should be promoted.
• All families should have a clean and functioning latrine.

Health Education
Health education activities to be carried out for convincing and helping community members to adopt and maintain certain preventive practices such as breast feeding, improved weaning, clean drinking water, use of plenty of water for hygiene, use of latrine, sanitary disposal of excreta.

Immunization
Immunization against measles is a potential intervention for diarrhoea control. When administered at the recommended age, the measles vaccine can prevent upto 25 per cent of diarrhoea deaths in children under 5 years of age.

Diarrheal Diseases Control Program in India
The Diarrheal Diseases Control (DDC) program was started in 1978. It has outlined both preventive and curative measures to control diarrheal diseases. If proper education about diarrheal diseases is carried out, it can significantly decrease morbidity and mortality.

Since 1985–88, with the inception of the National Oral Re–hydration Therapy Program, the focus of activities has been on strengthening the management of diarrhea for children under the age of five years and improving maternal knowledge about rehydration fluids available at home, use of ORS and continued breast feeding.