The Hindu Business Line : TV campaign launched to fight diarrhoea N. India

A NEW communication and marketing campaign has been launched on Doordarshan and select satellite channels in north India to increase the use of WHO-recommended Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) during the coming peak season for diarrhoea from April to September.

Every year, diarrhoea kills about 6,00,000 children under five years of age in the country.

This could be prevented with early intervention if parents gave the WHO-ORS as soon as the ailment started and after every stool.

The National Family Health Survey shows that the use of ORS among children with diarrhoea in north India is as low as 19.6 per cent. Inaugurated on Tuesday by Dr C.P. Thakur, Union Minister for Health, it targets the general public as well as 50,000 chemists and registered medical practitioners in the States of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and Delhi.

The TV campaign, which will be run by McCann Erickson India Ltd, has a specially designed logo and the campaign slogan is, `WHO-recommended ORS - Dast Ka Pehla Upaay, Doctor Ki Yehi Raay'.

The campaign will also show details of how to properly mix and use the WHO-ORS powder, a process that is vital to prevent childhood diarrhoea deaths.

The financial services group ICICI, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with the endorsement of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) has launched the campaign.

At the media conference, Dr Thakur said, "The present awareness of ORS nationwide is 62 per cent, but use is only 27 per cent.

Hence the challenge before the Government and the various partners in this campaign is to spread the message as widely and as quickly as possible."

The campaign will actively promote only those ORS powders that adhere to WHO-recommended formulations. Six companies have joined the campaign, namely CFL Pharma, FDC, Merck, TTK Healthcare, Shreya Life Sciences and Wallace Pharma. They will actively promote the use of WHO-ORS to paediatricians, general practitioners and chemists. Some of the WHO-recommended brands are Electrobion, TTK-ORS, Walyte-P, Coslyte, Relyte, Punarjal and Ricetral.

Priced in the range of Rs 2 to Rs 12, the powders are more effective than the homemade oral rehydration therapy, that is made by mixing salt and water, as it contains the right balance of glucose, potassium and sodium.

However, in case of an emergency and non-availability of the WHO-ORS powder, the home remedy must be made in the correct proportion, which is 0.8 g salt and 8 g sugar in 200 ml of pre-boiled water.

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