AGARTALA, June 25 (TIWN): With its ambitious plan to prevent the spread of diarrhea throughout the state, Health and Family Welfare Society inaugurated an Intensified Diarrhea Control Fortnight on Thursday at Bitterban Anganwadi Centre.

The concern authority has organized the Intensified Diarrhea Control Fortnight (IDCF) to avert substantial diarrheal deaths in the current season throughout the state as a part of national programme. The programme will continue till July 10 with an objective to ensure zero deaths of children under 5-year of age from diarrhea.

The Intensified Diarrhea Control Fortnight has been implemented to set some structured activities in an intensified manner all across the districts of the state. The activities mainly include advocacy and awareness generation among the common people including distribution of ORS by the ASHA workers by visiting every home. Further, the members of the concern organization will identify the undernourished child and will go for treatment, if required.

The Intensified Diarrhea Control Fortnight campaign has been divided into two phases. The first phase of the campaign will continue till July 1, during that time the ASHA workers will visit the households of the common people to trigger-out children under 5-year of age who have been suffering from any kind of diarrhea symptoms.

During the second phase which will start from July 2 and continue till July 10, the campaign will focus on Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices (IYCF), as child nutrition is one of the major factors of causing diarrhea.

During the campaign, ORS- Zinc corners will be established at all the health centres. Further, Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices (IYCF) counseling sites will be established at AWW and Health centres.

During the programme, District Sabhadhipati Dilip Das and Agartala Municipal Corporation Mayor Dr. Prafullajit Sinha were present.