The best treatment for dehydration, especially in kids is the Oral Rehydration Salt (ORS) and to raise its awareness, every year on 29th July as World ORS Day. It is the best way to rehydrate when someone is suffering from diarrhoea or any other disease-causing dehydration. Dr. Vijayanand Jamalpuri, MD MRCPCH (UK), Consultant Neonatologist, Rainbow Children’s Hospital, Hyderabad says, “ORS is a simple and lifesaving fluid. Severe dehydration is one of the leading causes of mortality in children below the age of 5 years, caused mainly due to diarrhoeal illness. When one has diarrhea, they happen to lose salt, sugar, and water from the body and ORS helps replace it. It is a formulation that is very easily available everywhere, at any medical shop, and can be prepared quickly.”
The ORS Formulation
Ready-To-Drink
You can buy the readily available ORS formulation from any medical store, but read the label for WHO recommended ORS only. Other commercially produced ORS formulations may have more quantity of sugar than required, which can make the situation even more severe.
If it is in the powder form, read the instructions carefully, and prepare the drink with clean drinking water only.
Preparation At Home
- Take 1 litre of clean drinking water
- Add 6 tsp fulls of sugar
- Add ½ tsp of salt
- Mix it till the sugar dissolves completely.
Boiled and cooled water is generally recommended. Also, too much sugar can make the diarrhoea worse or too much salt can be harmful.
What to remember?
Here are some tips to remember as recommended by Dr. Vijayanand:
- ORS can be given from 50-100 ml after every big loose motion and as much required by the person.
- In the case of tummy irritation or vomiting, the body may not accept large quantities of fluids at once. Thus, giving the ORS formulation sip-by-sip instead of a glass full is recommended.
- You can wait for a day or two before consulting a doctor in case of diarrhoea, while giving the ORS formulation.
- If you witness any of the symptoms like high-grade fever, blood in the stool, less frequent urination or stomach is descended, go to the doctor straight away.
- You can also replace it with normal drinking water throughout the day.
- Do not replace it with water for a child who is fit and consuming a healthy diet. It won’t be required by them, as the excess of sugar and salt in the body can be harmful.
- You can also consider flavoured ORS formulations if the kids don’t like the regular taste, but make sure it is the WHO recommended formulation.
- Early symptoms of diarrhoea can be noticed and ORS can be given to the child or even the adults. This will prevent the person from worsening their condition, hospital admission, and intravenous therapy.
- Not only diarrhoea, but other health issues like loss of appetite, can also cause dehydration
- It is safe and you can give it to children without even consulting a doctor.
- If the child is to be taken to the hospital in case of worsening symptoms, giving ORS formulation throughout the way may be helpful.
- Don’t give medicines to stop the diarrhoea.
- If it is bacterial diarrhoea, antibiotics can be given, but only after consulting a doctor.
Not only for children, but adults can also treat dehydration with it. Therefore, ORS is a very simple, easily accessible, and life-saving formulation available today and people need to be made more aware of it.
