Paediatricians in Vijayawada to celebrate ORS Week

Vijayawada: Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) launched ORS Week celebrations here on Wednesday with the theme ‘ORS all the say keeps dehydration at bay’ to create awareness among the people keeping in view of the monsoon when sizeable number of gastroenteritis problems people in general and children in particular would face. IPA is also celebrating Breastfeeding Week from August 1  to 7 with the theme ‘Breastfeeding foundation of life-breastfeeding nourishment of life’.

Dr Mallikarjuna Rao, secretary of the state unit of IPA, Dr S Ramprasad, general secretary of the Krishna district unit of IPA, addressing newsmen here on Wednesday said that monsoon is the time when children were affected by gastroenteritis problems and the Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) is the only answer to solve the problem. Dr Mallikarjuna Rao said that ORS was the best invention of 1960s which solved the biggest problem mankind has been facing.

Dr Ramprasad said that the children need not be given any anti-biotic medicine unless prescribed by the physician. “If they are given ORS throughout the day, there is no need to give any medicine and the children would recover immediately,” he said.

Sai Prasad said that it is high time to learn how to prevent rather than treatment later. “We are planning to create awareness among the people about the importance of ORS in treating gastroenteritis,” he said and added that some branded companies are selling in the name of energy drinks which are not solution for the problem.  Just the WHO suggested plain ORS is sufficient for treatment, he said.

Dr Sandhya highlighting the importance of breastfeeding said that immediately after birth the infant should be breastfed which is good for both the mother and child. The paediatricians said that there would be a walkathon to the stadium where some skits over the importance of ORS would be presented. They recalled that Krishna district branch of IPA has adjudged the second best in the country in creating awareness among the people.