Young childhood diarrhoea management by mothers and village practitioners in rural Bangladesh

Abstract

The role and success of mothers and village practitioners in treating diarrhoeal episodes have been evaluated in Bangladesh in 1979-1980 in 11 villages with 1801 children under age 5. Diarrhoeal episodes were recorded by weekly house-to-house visits. Among the study children, 1079 diarrhoeal episodes occurred during one year's observation. The attack rate was 60 per 100 children per year. Mothers treated more total episodes and more watery diarrhoea incidences, while practitioners attended more patients with dysentery. The ORS use pattern was significantly higher in watery diarrhoea in children under age 1. Measures are suggested to improve health care delivery to Bangladeshi children with diarrhoea