Dettol Banega Swasth India launches diarrhoea net-zero with support from the Government of Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 28 (ANI/BusinessWire India): Reckitt, the world's leading consumer health and hygiene company, under its flagship campaign Dettol Banega Swasth India launched 'Diarrhoea Net Zero' with support from the Government of Uttar Pradesh in Lucknow today. In the next 3 years, the program will directly impact 10 million people across Uttar Pradesh addressing 26 per cent of the burden of diarrhoea.

'Diarrhoea Net Zero' was launched by Brajesh Pathak, Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and Ravi Bhatnagar, Director, External Affairs and Partnerships, Reckitt- South Asia and other dignitaries with an aim to achieve net-zero Diarrhoeal deaths among under-5 children in Uttar Pradesh. The program will follow the WHO-7-point plan for preventing and treating diarrhoea in 13 districts of Uttar Pradesh namely- Bahraich, Bulandshahar, Firozabad, Ghazipur, Gorakhpur, Jaunpur, Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Mathura, Mirzapur, Muzaffarnagar, Shravasti and Sitapur. The vision is to take this initiative to 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh.

Gaurav Jain, Senior Vice President, Reckitt - South Asia said, "Uttar Pradesh is doing phenomenal work for the upliftment of its economy and for its people. We are truly proud to have worked closely with the State Government towards creating a 'Swachh and Swasth' India with our programs. In the last 7 years, we have touched the lives of over 10 million children in Uttar Pradesh. To further strengthen this relationship, we have launched India's first Diarrhoea Net Zero program with the support of the Government of Uttar Pradesh. Our vision with this program is to ensure that there are Net Zero Diarrheal deaths among Under 5 children in Uttar Pradesh."

Ravi Bhatnagar, Director- External Affairs and Partnerships, Reckitt- South Asia said, "Uttar Pradesh has shown tremendous improvement in several health indicators and has been recognized as the top-ranking state in incremental growth on health by NITI Aayog. Dettol Banega Swasth India, Reckitt India's flagship purpose programme has been a partner to the state's development journey for the past 7 years in the fields of hygiene, health and sanitation. Recognizing the role of health as a foundation for development, the programme further aims to increase its depth and breadth of engagement in the state in the next 3 years by rolling out initiatives like Dettol Diarrhoea Net Zero, which will focus on preventing under 5 mortalities due to diarrhoea by following the WHO 7-point plan."

Dettol Banega Swasth India has been consistently working to improve child health standards in India with specialized programs that address health, hygiene, and sanitation. To support Uttar Pradesh in its fight against diarrhoea, Dettol 'Diarrhoea Net Zero' supports the WHO 7-point plan for preventing and treating diarrhoea, which comprises a prevention package and a treatment package.
As a part of the programme, Reckitt will create a scalable and replicable model to:
-Build capacity amongst frontline workers (Asha workers, Anganwadi workers etc), Indian Medical Associations (IMA) and the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) aligned with the WHO 7-point plan
- Advocacy, communication and social mobilization around Diarrhoea prevention, health promotion and treatment through on-ground engagement
- Assessing supply chain to ensure availability of Zinc and ORS across government health facilities
- Monetary support for outpatient and inpatient treatment through the 'Diarrhoea Net Zero' voucher scheme to complement AYUSHMAN BHARAT

The initiative will help improve the quality of care by addressing emergency cases faster, increasing focus on complete immunization coverage and improving the overall public healthcare system's responsiveness to diarrhoea care.

Dettol Banega Swasth India has been working with the Government of Uttar Pradesh since 2015 to improve the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of children and the community and ensure better hygiene and health outcomes. Dettol and its partners have reached over 10.8 million children with its 'School Hygiene Education Programme' leading to a reduction in diarrhoea cases in school children and a reduction of nearly 39 per cent in school absenteeism due to health issues.

Reckitt's various interventions across the state, include supporting villages to become Open Defecation Free, promoting hygiene and sanitation at India's biggest religious gathering - Kumbh Mela, receiving multiple accolades and appreciation from the Government of India for its initiatives. With the launch of 'Diarrhoea Net Zero' programme in partnership with Uttar Pradesh government, Dettol Banega Swasth India will continue to bring positive change in the lives of children and reduce the prevalence of Diarrhoea in the state through a scalable and replicable model.

Note to Editor:
The WHO 7-point plan is a comprehensive framework to reduce the burden of childhood diarrhoea. The plan is made up of two treatment and five prevention strategies. For treatment, children need fluid replacement to prevent dehydration, and zinc supplements. The prevention package consists of: i) Rotavirus and measles vaccinations; ii) Promotion of early and exclusive breastfeeding and vitamin A supplementation; iii) Promotion of handwashing with soap; iv) Improvement of water quantity and quality, including treatment and safe storage of household water; and v) Promotion of community-wide sanitation. It is important that implementation of the prevention package is approached in a concerted way since single interventions alone are likely to result in lesser overall impact. The package should be accompanied by clear, targeted and integrated behaviour and social change communication strategies to improve uptake by families and communities. To know more: http://7pointplan.org/diarrhoea-control.html
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