Clinical Management of Acute Diarrhea
With input and technical support from USAID, the World Health
Organization (WHO) and United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF)
have issued new recommendations on the clinical management of diarrhea that
could
potentially
reduce the number
of
child deaths
drastically.
These recommendations take into account two recent technical advances:
- A newly formulated oral rehydration salts (ORS) solution
containing lower concentrations of glucose and salts.
- Success in using
zinc supplementation to reduce both the severity of diarrhoeal episodes,
and their incidence during the 2 to 4 months following supplementation with
zinc.
These technical advances, used in addition to prevention
and treatment of dehydration with appropriate home fluids, breastfeeding, continued
feeding, and rationale
use of antibiotics, will reduce the duration and severity of diarrheal episodes
and lower their incidence. Families and communities have a critical role
to play in making the new recommendations routine practice in the home and
health
facilities.
WHO/UNICEF
Joint Statement: Clinical Management of Acute Diarrhea [PDF, 1.8M]
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