Nutrition Landscape Information System (NLiS)
Nutrition and nutrition-related health and development data
Children <5 years with diarrhoea receiving oral rehydration solution (ORS)
What does this indicator tell us?
This indicator is the prevalence of children with diarrhoea who received oral rehydration solution (ORS). The percentage of children aged under 5 years with diarrhoea receiving ORS is an intermediate outcome indicator of the Global Nutrition Targets. Coverage of diarrhoea treatment is also included in the Global reference list of 100 core health indicators.
How is it defined?
This indicator is the proportion of children aged 0-59 months who had diarrhoea in the previous 2 weeks and who received ORS (fluids made from ORS packets or pre-packaged ORS fluids). Diarrhoea is defined as the passage of three or more loose or liquid stools per day.
What are the consequences and implications?
Diarrhoeal diseases remain one of the major causes of mortality among children aged under 5 years, accounting for 9% of deaths among children worldwide. Most of the deaths in children from diarrhoea could be averted by using ORS and zinc supplementation during episodes of diarrhoea, and basic interventions to improve drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). It is estimated that ORS alone can prevent 93% of deaths due to diarrhoea, and zinc supplementation can decrease deaths from diarrhoea by 23%.
Source of data
WHO. Global Health Observatory (GHO) data repository. Preventing child deaths. Data by country (http://apps.who.int/gho/data/view.main.1600).
Further reading
WHO. Diarrhoeal disease. Fact sheet. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2017 (http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diarrhoeal-disease).
WHO, UNICEF. Global Nutrition Monitoring Framework: operational guidance for tracking progress in meeting targets for 2025. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2017 (http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/operational-guidance-GNMF-indicators/en/).
WHO. Global reference list of 100 core health indicators (plus health-related SDGs). Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018 (https://www.who.int/healthinfo/indicators/2018/en/).