Slide 17
Home made oral Fluids, and how much
to giveTo introduce this slide, let us summarise
what we have said so far. The best way to treat
children with diarrhoea is to give them oral rehydration
fluids as soon as the diarrhoea begins. You can make a
good OR fluid at home - the main difficulty is to
measure the sugar, salt and water accurately enough.
Now look at the drawing on this slide. It shows a spoon* which some doctors have designed to help to
measure the salt and sugar. However, you, or the child's
mother, must measure the water. In most countries you
can get ordinary glasses or cups which hold at least 200
ml. of water. These two-ended spoons measure the salt
and sugar that you need for one 200 ml. glass of water.
Each end of the spoon is called a scoop.
* Spoons are available from TALC at a cost if £1.60
for 20 spoons. They are available with instructions
in several languages (English, French, Spanish,
Portuguese, Arabic, Swahili etc.). A sample spoon
is sent with this set.
Q. How do you make up one glass or cup of
rehydration fluid?
A. Read the instructions on the spoon.
Add 1 level scoop of sugar from the bigger scoop
A
Add 1 level scoop of salt from the smaller scoop B
To make a level measure, you fill the scoop with as
much sugar or salt as possible, then you push a
pencil, knife or other flat object across the top of
the scoop, like in the drawing. Any salt or sugar
above the top of the scoop falls off. So the sugar or
salt is flat-or level with the top of the scoop.
Remember: Whatever method of measuring you
use, there should always be more sugar than salt.
The biggest scoop or pinch is always for sugar.
Perhaps every Health Centre could have some of
these spoons to use when packets of ORS are not
available.
Further Discussion
If you have no plastic spoons, there are other ways of
measuring. Use a teaspoon. A teaspoon holds about 5
ml. of fluid. You must also have a vessel which can
hold 1 litre or a little more of water. To 1 litre of water
add:
1 level teaspoon of salt
8 level teaspoons of sugar
It is even possible to make simple spoons from wood
(see="diarrhoea-management-appendix3.htm" target="_blank"> Appendix 3).
