Trouble in the gut: More than 1.34m children under age five suffered from diarrhoea in K-P

A UNICEF report says among 5 million children in the same age group in Pakistan, 89,300 die each year from the illness

PESHAWAR:

Around 1.34 million children under the age of five were affected by diarrhoea and brought to government hospitals in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa this year. A UNICEF report went on to explain that among the five million under the age of five in Pakistan, 470,000 die each year.

Roughly 11% –89,300 – of these children died due to diarrhoea-related reasons. The Bellagio study shows 13% of all these deaths could be prevented by breastfeeding, 6% by complementary feeding, 15% by using ORS, 4% by Zinc supplements and 3% by implementing adequate water and sanitation systems.



According to the K-P health department’s District Health Information System Cell, 738,505 children between the ages of one to five were reported to have diarrhoea. In the group of children aged two and above, 650,565 children were affected by the same predicament.

According to the cell, 151,022 aged five and under had diarrhoea and related health problems in Peshawar, 32,721 children in Bannu, 60,616 in DI Khan, 38,679 in Lakki Marwat, 10,239 in Tank, and 40,197 in Nowshera. The lowest reported number is from Kohistan, 8,991 children suffered from diarrhoea.

While talking to The Express Tribune, the provincial coordinator of lady health workers (LHWs), Dr Tahir Nadeem Khan said when a person has to relieve him or herself more than three times a day and the faeces are in a watery form, they are diagnosed with diarrhoea. In such situations, he explained, the body needs to be kept hydrated. The condition is fatal if it remains untreated and worsens.

To create awareness among young mothers, the health department runs campaigns through LHWs frequently, added Khan. They also have a Mother and Child Week in December to teach mothers how to take care of their young ones. During the week, mothers learn how to manage acute respiratory illnesses.

Fighting for their rights

Lady Health Workers reiterated their threat to boycott polio drives and work if the government did not pay their salaries by January 15.

According to Khan, there are more than 13,500 LHWs working throughout the province and their collective salaries round up to Rs1.8 million per month, which is Rs8,000 per person.

Through the 18th amendment, the Council of Common Interest decided the federal government would pay their salaries till June 30, 2017, clarified Khan.

Ayesha, a LHW supervisor in Peshawar, said they have not received any salaries over the last five months, and will boycott polio drives and women awareness programmes if the government does not pay them.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2013.