UNICEF, WHO launch strategy to prevent & treat diarrhoea

Global campaigns to fight diarrhoea - the second deadliest illness for children - must be re-energized to prevent the deaths of millions in the developing world, UNICEF and WHO said today as they released a new report on the disease.

The report, diarrhoea: why children are still dying and what can be done, lays out a seven-point plan that includes a treatment package to reduce childhood diarrhoea deaths and a prevention strategy to ensure long-term results. The seven specific points are:

Fluid replacement to prevent dehydration; zinc treatment; rotavirus and measles vaccinations; promotion of early and exclusive breastfeeding and vitamin A supplementation; promotion of hand washing with soap; improved water supply quantity and quality, including treatment and safe storage of household water; and community-wide sanitation promotion to reduce diarrhoea deaths.