New Hypo-Osmolar ORS (Recommended by WHO) for Routine Use in the Diarrhea Management– Surveillance Study for Adverse Effects

For more than 25 years WHO and UNICEF have recommended a single formulation of glucose-based Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) to prevent or treat dehydration from diarrhoea irrespective of the cause or age group affected. This product has proven effective and contributed substantially to the dramatic global reduction in mortality from diarrhoeal disease during the period.

Based on more than two decades of research and recommendations by an expert group, WHO and UNICEF reviewed the effectiveness of a new ORS formula with reduced concentration of glucose and salts. Because of the improved effectiveness of this new ORS solution WHO and UNICEF recommended that countries use and manufacture this new formulation in place of the old one. While recommending this new ORS the experts also recommended that further monitoring is desirable to better assess the risk, if any of symptomatic hyponatraemia (low blood level of sodium salt). This is a surveillance study to evaluate adverse effect of routinely using the new ORS in a hospital admitting over 20,000 patients with diarrhea of all ages including cholera. If the new ORS is found safe, it will provide added confidence in its global use.