THE USE OF ORS (NIMKOL) IN MANAGEMENT OF CHILDHOOD DIARRHOEA BY MOTHERS IN THE SUBURBS OF RAWALPINDI-ISLAMABAD Pages with reference to book, From 178 To 182 Aftab Ahmed, Iftikhar Ahmad Malik, Muhammad Iqbal, Muhammad Nawaz, Seema Azim, Noreen Bukhtiari, Ruby Salwa Bhatty, Shahina Anjum, Lubna Ashraf, Muhammad Luqman, Ch. Muhammad Anwar ( Pakistan-US Laboratory for Seroepidemiology (PULSE), Army Medical College, Rawalpindi. ) ABSTRACT A total of 595 respondents (200 from urban Kachi-abadis and 395 from rural communities of. Rawalpindi-Islamabad) were interviewed for their knowledge about the use of ORS (Nimkol) in childhood diarrhoea. Most of the respondents were mothers with low literacy rate (23%). The prevalence of current diarrhoea among children was 36.8% on the day of interview whereas 57% of the children had history of having suffered from an episode of diarrhoea during the past two weeks. About 75% respondents claimed that they had an experience of using ORS (Nimkol). Most of them (72.1%) had used ORS (Nimkol) for childhood diarrhoea and dehydration and 28% had used it for diseases other than childhood diarrhoea or on doctor’s advice. Only 11% mothers of children who were currently suffering from diarrhoea were using ORS (Nimkol) and afew mothers mentioned of giving home made fluid remedies like salt- water, salt-sugar-water or lemon-sugar-salt water for childhood diarrhoea. The use o’f ORS (Nimkol) was more common among the families with higher income. Regarding the preparation of ORS (Nimkol) solution, 57.8% respondents had fairly accurate knowledge. Fifty percent of the respondents had procured ORS (Nimkol) from the hospitals or clinics. (JPMA 40: 178, 1990). INTRODUCTION Acute diarrhoea is a major health problem among children in developing countries like Pakistan which may threaten their health and sometimes their lives 1 . The World Health Organization (WHO) introduced oral rehydration therapy (ORT) in the past decades and had made considerable investment for the promotion of oral rehydration salt (ORS)-Nimkol as the preferred treatment for acute childhood diarrhoea 2 . The concern about the extent to which ORS had been accepted. by the general population had led to a series of studies in the recent past which indicated that the knowledge about ORS had been increasing gradually during the past few years 3-6 . A major increase in awareness and utility of ORS (Nimkol) occurred in the late 1980’s with an evidence of increased use of ORS m 1987-88, due to extensive promotional efforts 2,7 . The Planning and Development Division, Government of Pakistan conducted a study in 1984 which showed that 32% of mothers in rural areas and 50% of mothers in urban areas reported the use of ORS 8 . PRITECH in. 1989 had also reported an increase in the awareness and use of ORS by health care personnel and patients 9 . Our study was related to childhood diarrhoea among families belonging to relatively low socio-economic status in urban (kachi-abadies) and rural areas of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The study was conducte4 in summer as the prevalence of diarrhoea in such families is higher in hot season10. In- this paper we present the data on the knowledge and use of ORS (Nimkol) in childhood diarrhoea by respondents and how its use is related to their age, education and socio-economic conditions.