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DEFINITIONAcute diarrhoea is defined as passage of loose or watery stools at least three times in a 24 h period. When loose stools contain blood, it is called bloody diarrhoea (dysentery). It is the consistency of the stools which is most important rather than the frequency. Breast-fed babies often pass “pasty” stools frequently which is not diarrhoea. The mother can often tell accurately whether child has diarrhoea or not. MAGNITUDE OF THE PROBLEMAcute diarrhoea is an important cause of mortality and morbidity particularly in young children in the developing countries. Of the 11.6 million deaths among children less than five years old in all developing countries (1995) due to infectious diseases, 19% deaths are attributed to diarrhoeah]. In 1993, an estimated 3.2 million children below five years of age died from diarrhoea alone; 80 % of these deaths occurred in the first two years of life[2].
