1. Introduction
Diarrhoea is among the main causes of morbidity and mortality in children within the developing
world [1]. Mortality associated with diarrhoeal disease among children under the age of five years
old residing in developing countries was 2.50 million deaths per year worldwide based on a review
published in 2003 of studies conducted between 1992 and 2000 [1]. In 2010, approximately 1.70 billion
episodes of diarrhoea occurred, of which 36 million cases progressed to severe episodes; in 2011, there
was an estimated 700,000 deaths attributed to diarrhoea in children under five years of age within the
developing world [2]. Although a reduction in mortality has been documented, 15% of child deaths
were still due to diarrhoeal disease [3]