India is once again in the news for all the wrong reasons. Along with four other countries India in 2010 accounted for half the estimated number of global deaths from eight main causes in children younger than five years. A recent study in The Lancet has revealed that half the number of global deaths caused by infections again took place in these five countries. In all, there were nearly 1.7 million estimated deaths in India that year. With nearly 400,000 deaths, pneumonia turned out to be the top killer disease, followed by diarrhoea causing more than 210,000 deaths. In fact, India is one of the five countries where most have died from two preventable infectious diseases — pneumonia and diarrhoea. Apparently, in India, pneumonia felled the most in both age groups — about 143,000 deaths in neonates (less than 28 days old) and nearly 254,000 in those aged 1-59 months. The corresponding mortality figures for diarrhoea were nearly 19,000 in neonates and 193,000 children aged 1-59 months. That no significant improvements took place during the period 2005-2010 became clear in a November 2010 Lancet study that looked at the estimated deaths in 2005 at ages 1-59 months. Half the 1.5 million deaths in 2005 were from pneumonia and diarrhoea.
These findings should come as no surprise as the main causative factors have yet to be addressed. A majority of people, especially in rural areas, do not have access to safe drinking water, and sanitation and hygiene levels are terrible. A recent UNICEF report says 638 million people, or nearly 54 per cent of the population, defecate in the open. The corresponding figure in Bangladesh and Brazil is just seven per cent. The report adds that only six per cent of rural children below five years used toilets. While Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation, is determined to rid the country of open defecation by 2017, what needs to be undertaken immediately is to spread a simple yet cost-effective public health message — the importance of handwashing with soap after defecation. Unfortunately, only about half of all Indians regularly wash their hands with soap after contact with excreta. Washing hands can cut diarrhoea by over 40 per cent, and about 30 per cent of respiratory infections, including pneumonia, can be avoided. The gain is more if this practice is adopted before eating. Global Handwashing Day, endorsed by many countries, including India, was initiated in 2008 to drive home this important message. But awareness building should be a continuous process and cannot be restricted to just one day.
Keywords: preventable infectious diseases, India pneumonia deaths, India diarrhoea deaths, India sanitation, public health, handwashing campaign, sanitation campaign, rural health, cleanliness awareness
Endorsing handwashing day is the initial step, a lot more needs to be done. The benefits of handwashing need to be explained even to the remotd areas of the country. The people who are out of touch of cable tv hardly get this message, so the ministry of health should make a proper advertisement scheme by using radio, posters etc. DOTS and Polio vaccine programmes having reached to a lot of places itself shows the way of reaching the remotest. Ministry of health along with Medical council of India should take steps like explaining the benefit of handwashing by professionals in every PHC, imparting health education in schools. NGOs too can help the government initiative by endorsing for the cause at their own level.
why cant the government install hand sanitizers in places like schools, village common areas , and all public places like
bus stand railway stations places of worship...etc. May be a big one time cost for government ...but in a country like ours where many places water is a scarcity and people have notorious chalta hai attitude this helps.
I have seen in USA this (hand sanitizer) is being followed ,especially in kids play area. we are not rich country like USA , but so much of amount we spend for other things..this can be done and hope it cuts down the mortality rate by atleast 50%
Children are too innocent to be blamed.The responsibility do comes on parents and teachers .But the ultimate axe lies on the shoulders of the nation builders.Its a shame where on one side nation is going to be counted among the top growing countries of the world and on the other side most of its people cannot afford a mere soap for cleaning their hands .Where are the targets of inclusive growth? Poverty is the real culprit
For any case, any disaster, any attack, any massacre, any disease, any corruption, any problem we the INDIANS proudly blame the Government for it.
Government can seek the problems which are there in its hands but blaming the government for each and every thing is really foolishness, do you feel that if your TV is not working the government is responsible for it? It’s totally NO. Same is this case if people are dying government is not responsible but the people around is responsible.
it is the basic duty of parents, elders, teachers to inculcate clean hygienic habits. Children are too innocent and immature to understand basic hygiene. Once learnt they will stick and continue the good habits and also follow what is taught to them. It comes as no surprise in the days of pollution and dirt all over, the significance of personal hygiene is of paramount importance. Educate your child and see the result. Once ill effects are highlighted, children can spread this message loud and clear. All it requires is extra car and a bit of patience.
Habits die hard especially in a society like India. Who will tell children to clean their hands before having a meal? Parents or Teachers or society? Whether water is available for this purpose! What is the relevance of governance in the name of democracy except spending public funds imprudently. Individual responsibility and social responsibility matter a lot for human excellence.
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