Instead of suggesting drugs, WHO offers the following for treating diarrhea. (1) Prevent dehydration by giving the child more fluids, such as rice water or tea. (2) If the child still becomes dehydrated, see a health worker for assessment, and treat the child with ORS. (3) Feed the child normally during and after the diarrheic episode. (4) If the child is severely dehydrated, he should be rehydrated intravenously.b

If you cannot obtain prepackaged ORS, follow this simple recipe carefully: Mix one level teaspoon of table salt, eight level teaspoonfuls of sugar, and one liter (five cupfuls at 200 milliliters each) of clean water. Give one cupful for each loose stool passed, half that for small children. See the box on page 10 for more information on this matter.

[Box on page 10]

ANOTHER ORS FOR CHOLERA

WHO now recommends that rice-​based ORS (oral rehydration solution), instead of the standard glucose-​based ORS, be used for treating cholera patients. Studies show that cholera patients treated with rice-​based ORS had 33 percent less stool output and shorter episodes of diarrhea than cholera patients given standard ORS. One liter of rice-​based ORS is made by replacing the ounce [20 g] of sugar with two to three ounces [50-80 g] of cooked rice-​powder.​—Essential Drugs Monitor.