INTRODUCTION
Acute diarrheal disease with its accompanying
dehydration has remained a challenging
problem to the medical profession and the
community in the third world countries
especially in the age below five years.1 The
WHO estimates that four million children under
the age of five die each year in the world from
diarrhea mainly in developing countries. The
current global cholera epidemic can only be
resolved through the introduction of safe
drinking water supplies and appropriate levels
of hygiene. These diseases are usually caused by
water-borne pathogens such as salmonella, E.
coli, shigella and enteroviruses.2
“The diseases associated with water are heavily
contaminated in the developing world”
comments Dr. Kreisel. “They hit hardest the
poorest urban and rural households of the poor
countries. Nearly half of the populations in
developing countries suffer from health
problems directly linked to insufficient or
contaminated water”.3
In hospitals up to a third of total pediatric
admissions are due to diarrheal diseases and up
to 17% of all deaths in indoor pediatric patients
are diarrhea related.4 The household surveys
carried out during 1994-95 showed that in under
five year children diarrhea episodes were
1,92,943 and morbidity rate was 1.7 episodes per
year per child.5