Evolution in the recommendations for oral rehydration therapy according to World Health Organisation guidelines: where to go from here?

ABSTRACT

Guidelines on the use of oral rehydration salts (ORS) have been revised over the years based on evidence from research studies and clinical experience. This paper charts the evolution in oral rehydration therapy (ORT) in the context of World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations. Diarrhoeal disease case management, with ORT as its cornerstone, has had tremendous success in terms of implementation and outcome. To further decrease global diarrhoeal morbidity and mortality, there should be increased efforts to accelerate the introduction of safe, effective, and affordable against diarrhoeal pathogens such as cholera and rotavirus.