ORS is the cornerstone of diarrhea control programs, and it may be administered in the home for simple treatment of dehydration.

Oral rehydration solution (ORS) is the cornerstone of diarrhea treatment in low-resource settings. This simple mixture of sugar and electrolytes costs as little as ten cents and can be given in the home to rehydrate children who have lost fluids due to diarrhea. Oral rehydration therapy (ORT), the broader concept which encompasses ORS, also focuses on replacing lost fluids through breast milk, rice water mixed with salt, soups, and cereals.

A new formulation of ORS with lower sodium and glucose content makes it more efficacious than ever. Clinical benefits of low-osmolarity ORS include reduced stool output, reduced vomiting, and a decreased need for unscheduled IV therapy.¹

PATH is working with country partners to implement a comprehensive approach to diarrheal disease control that incorporates new technologies with proven interventions like ORS. For further details, please visit the PATH website.

UNICEF is collaborating with the World Health Organization (WHO) to make low-osmolarity ORS available in developing countries and to provide guidelines for its use in treating diarrhea.

Key resources

Below are some key documents on ORS/ORT. Please also browse our list of helpful websites for more resources.

• Zinc and Low Osmolarity ORS for Diarrhoea: A Renewed Call to Action. Bulletin of the WHO.
• WHO/UNICEF Joint Statement on Clinical Management of Acute Diarrhoea (available on the WHO website).
• Implementing the New Recommendations on the Clinical Management of Diarrhoea—Guidelines for Policymakers and Programme Managers (available on the WHO website).
• Diarrhoea Case Management in Low- and Middle-income Countries—An Unfinished Agenda (205 KB PDF). Bulletin of the WHO.
• Fact sheet: Oral Rehydration Therapy/Oral Rehydration Solution (available on the PATH website).

Other helpful websites

• Rehydration Project
• International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh
• WHO Child and Adolescent Health and Development

References

¹ Hahn S, Kim Y, Garner P. Reduced osmolarity oral rehydration solution for treating dehydration due to diarrhoea in children: Systematic review. British Medical Journal. 2001;323:81–85.

² Forsberg, BC. Diarrhoea case management in low- and middle-income countries—an unfinished agenda. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 2007;85:42-48.

Photo: Robin Biellik.