Training in management of diarrhoea in children intensified

Available statistics indicate that every year more than 1.5 million children die from acute diarrhoea accounting for approximately 16 percent of deaths in under five years of age in Africa.

In Ghana, diarrhoea often ranks third in the top ten diseases of the outpatients.

The Inspecting Pharmacist at the Tamale Zonal Pharmacy Council Office, Mr. Ebenezar Ogyiri announced this when he took 97 Licensed Chemical Sellers drawn from Zabzugu, Saboba, Bimbilla, Chereponi, Tatale/Sanguli District in the Yendi Municipality.

The one day training workshop on Management of Diarrhoea in Children was organized by the Pharmacy Council at Yendi in the Northern Region.

He said they were taking through essential concepts relating to diarrhoea, assess and classify the sick child, identify and treat the child, safety monitoring among others.

Mr. Ogyriri stated that, according to the 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS), diarrhoea prevalence among children under age of five was 19.8 percent, with 27.2 percent prevalence among children in the 6 – 11 months age range and 32.6 percent among children between 12 – 23 months.

According to the Inspecting Pharmacist, these rates of diarrhoea prevalence are unacceptably high.

He said data from the World Health organization (WHO) Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group (CHERG) in 2010, diarrhoea accounted for a percent of all deaths in children under five in Ghana and 15 percent of all children aged 1 – 15 months.

Mr. Ogyiri said this was why the Zonal Pharmacy Council for the three northern regions have intensified training for all Licensed Chemical Sellers in the area for them to assist mothers to manage diarrhoea in children with the use of skin pinch test Oral rehydration solution (ORS) Zinc among others and also refer children with severe persistent diarrhoea to the hospitals and Health Clinics for immediate medical treatment.

He noted that in May 2004, WHO/UNICEF issued a joint statement recommending the use of zinc, an essential Micro-nutrient for human growth, development and maintenance of the immune system and a new formulation ORS and others as a pronged approach to improve case management of acute diarrhoea in children.

Mr. Ogyiri said these two advances a new low Osmolarity formula of ORS and introduction of zinc supplement in conjunction with continued feeding and increased fluids have found to have the potential to decrease diarrhoea rated death by 88 percent.

The Zonal Pharmacy Council Manager, Mr. Prince Darko Addo, called on the Licensed Chemical Sellers to go back home and also train their Assistants with the knowledge they had acquired from the Training Manual for Licensed Chemical Sellers.

Mr. Prince Darko urged them to ensure that they go back to their chemical shops and practice what they have learnt from the manual.

He indicated that the training is as a result of a collaborative effort led by USAID’S strengthening Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) project with tremendous support from local partners.

Mr. Prince Darko said these partners include the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service USAID Ghana, WNO Ghana, UNICEF the Pharmacy Council, Food and Drugs Board and the Ghana Registered Midwives Association. He advised the Licensed Chemicals Sellers to renew their Licenses annually in order to prevent the Inspection Teams of the Council from closing down their chemical shops.