Statement by Provincial Health Minister Pierre Uys on Combating Diarrhoeal Disease in the Western Cape

Minister Uys said the Western Cape Department of Health will combat diarrhoeal disease and increase immunization in the province as part of its 2005 Christmas Deliverables campaign. The disease peaks during February and March.

Diarrhoeal disease is especially prevalent in summer because of more flies and higher water infection. The highest incidence occurs in low income areas and especially in the informal settlements. Minister Uys said children under the age of two are especially vulnerable and mothers need to wash their hands regularly.

The Department will combat the threatening diarrhoeal disease through the employment of 74 community-based workers trained in the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) strategy. These community-based workers are based in affected areas such as Khayelitsha and the Eastern Klipfontein sub-districts. In addition the Department has also employed and trained four coordinators in the IMCI-strategy.

This IMCI-strategy was originally developed by the World Health Organisation and focuses on the child as a whole, rather than on a single disease or condition. "Sick children often arrive at primary health care facilities with a number of sicknesses and have to be managed in an integrated manner at home and at the clinic" min Uys said.

The Department aims by December 2005 to have employed and trained an additional 60 community-based workers to implement the integrated IMCI-strategy. They will be involved in implementing a set of household and community based interventions aimed at addressing the key causes of childhood morbidity and mortality.

The aim of this intervention is to expand services in Khayelitsha with an additional service in Mitchell's Plain. This is in line with the Provincial Government's Ikapa Elihlumayo strategy as it forms part of building human capital and strengthening social capital. Minister Uys said by Christmas this year, a total of 134 community-based workers will assist and strengthen the Department's fight against diarrhoeal disease.

Every year, about 12 million children in developing countries die before they reach their fifth birthday, many during the first year of life. Seven in 10 of these deaths are due to five main diseases: acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea, measles, malnutrition, and malaria.

Minister Uys urged mothers to wash their hands regularly. "If your children have the disease they must be given fluids immediately to prevent dehydration," he said.

There is a simple recipe of a mixture mothers can give to their children:

• Wash a bottle and a spoon
• Wash hands with soap and water
• 1 Litre of clean water (if in doubt boil)
• 8 teaspoons of sugar
• Half a teaspoon of salt

Minister Uys says the mixture can be given as much as the child will drink.