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One of the main objectives of the National Health Policy 2019 is to reduce childhood mortality to 23 per 1,000 live births by 2025. In many states, diarrhoeal illnesses remain to be a leading cause of death among children under the age of 5, accounting for 6.4 percent of all fatalities among children under the age of 5. Every year, over 0.62 lakh children in the country die from diarrhoea. Diarrhoeal deaths are most common during the summer and monsoon months, and children from low-income families are the most vulnerable.

Almost all diarrhoea-related deaths can be mitigated by using ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution) and Zinc tablets to prevent and treat dehydration, as well as ensuring enough nutritional intake by the child during diarrhoea. Exclusive and continuous breastfeeding, prompt introduction of adequate and safe complementary meals, use of safe drinking water, hand-washing, sanitation, and immunization can all help to prevent diarrhoea.

Because the impact of diarrhoeal mortality remains high in children, it has been agreed to organize an Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDCF) this year from June 13th to June 27th, 2022, with the ultimate goal of zero child deaths owing to childhood diarrhoea. The Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDCF) is a wide range of activities that will be undertaken in a more intensive way throughout all States/UTs during IDCF 2022 to prevent and control mortality due to dehydration from diarrhoea. These initiatives primarily consist of intensifying advocacy and awareness generation activities for diarrhoea management, enhancing service provision for diarrhoea case management, establishing ORS-Zinc corners, ASHA prepositioning of ORS and Zinc in households with under-five children, and hygiene and sanitation awareness generation activities.