Africa: First Large-Scale Study Finds Closing the Gap Between Public and Private Diarrhea Care of African Children Could Save 20,000 Lives

Deerfield, Il — Data shows private facilities far less likely to provide oral rehydration therapy; stark differences point to need for engagement with the private sector

Young children suffering from diarrheal diseases are less likely to receive life-saving oral rehydration therapy (ORT) if they seek treatment at private, for-profit clinics, according to the first-ever, large-scale study of child diarrhea treatment practices in sub-Saharan Africa. The stark difference in treatment between public and private clinics may be unnecessarily costing tens of thousands of lives each year from diarrheal diseases that are effectively treatable with inexpensive oral rehydration salts, researchers conclude in the report, published online today in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

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