Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDCF) consists of a set of activities to be implemented in an intensified manner for prevention and control of deaths due to dehydration from diarrhoea across all States & UTs. These activities mainly include- intensification of advocacy & awareness generation activities for diarrhoea management, strengthening service provision for diarrhoea case management, establishment of ORS-Zinc corners, prepositioning of ORS by ASHA in households with under-five children and awareness generation activities for hygiene and sanitation.
Goal of IDCF
The goal of IDCF is to attain zero child deaths due to childhood diarrhoea.
Strategy for the IDCF
The focus of IDCF is on delivery of simple proven interventions that have large impact towards control of childhood diarrhoeal morbidity and mortality. The IDCF strategy is three folds, as below:
- Improved availability and use of ORS and Zinc at the community
- Facility level strengthening to manage cases of dehydration
- Enhanced advocacy and communication on prevention and control of diarrhoea through IEC campaign.
Activities:
At community / village level
- Distribution of ORS and demonstration
- IPC activities by ANM on hygiene and sanitation along with management of diarrhoea
- Hand washing demonstration in schools
- Mobile health teams for urban areas
At health facility level
- Establishment of ORS and Zinc corners for treatment of diarrhoea
- Promote standard case management of diarrhoeal cases
- Cleaning of water tanks in health facilities
Target Beneficiaries:
- All under-five children along with their mothers/ care-givers
- Under 5 years children suffering from diarrhoea
* A large number of secondary audiences such as School teachers/children, PRI members, Health & ICDS functionaries, private practitioners etc.
Priority Areas:
- Areas with vacant sub-centers: ANM not posted for more than 3 months.
- Villages/areas with ANMs on long leave or other similar reasons.
- Within villages houses that are located in or near unsanitary conditions.
- High risk areas (HRAs) with populations living in areas such as: Urban slums, Underserved and hard to reach populations (forested and tribal populations, hilly areas etc.).
- Other migrant settlements (fisherman villages, reverie areas with shifting populations)
- Nomadic sites
- Brick kilns
- Construction sites
- Orphanage
- Street children
- Areas known for or with diarrhoeal outbreaks, in last two years.
- Areas known for poor sanitation and water supply.
- Small villages, hamlets, dhanis, purbas, basas (field huts), etc.
Key Messages for Awareness Generation:
- Give ORS and extra fluids to child immediately at the onset of diarrhoea and continue till diarrhoea stops.
- Giving Zinc for 14 days for children suffering from diarrhoea, even if diarrhoea stops.
- Use of ORS and Zinc during diarrhoeal episodes among children is a safe treatment which makes the child recovers from diarrhoea faster.
- Safe and quick disposal of child’s faeces.
- Continue feeding, including breastfeeding in those children who are being breastfed & give extra feeds during and after illness.
- Use clean drinking water after safe handling.
- Mother should wash her hands with soap before preparation of food, before feeding the child and after cleaning stool of child.
Return to the health worker / centre if the child develops the following during treatment:
- Child becomes sicker
- Not able to drink or breastfeed
- Blood in stool
- Drinking poorly
- Develops fever
*Contact your ASHA or ANM on any advice on diarrhoea.
