Dehydration is a condition that can occur when you lose more body fluids, mostly water, than the amount that your body takes in.
With dehydration, more water is moving out of the body than the amount of water that is coming in through drinking.
People get dehydrated easily, especially due to the hot climate, and they need to rehydrate constantly. Nothing like cold drink water under the hot sun!
When you get that sensation of dehydration, the sensation of a dry tongue and throat, don’t wait until you’re choking on your spit, drink some water.
In Africa, the most dangerous of all is dehydration in babies and children. Good thing when they’re between 2-3 they can start asking for water.
Water & foodborne diseases such as cholera (A.K.A double calabash) affects about 4 million people yearly and kills about 143 thousand people annually according to W.H.O. Cholera kills within hours due to severe dehydration if left untreated. Also, other notable waterborne and foodborne diseases, known as food poisoning, can cause diarrhoea and vomiting and can lead to dehydration and possible death if not treated.
Dehydration in children is very serious and needs emergency medical care, so preventive measures like proper sanitary measures and proper water purification can help reduce the incident rate of dehydration.
Is there Any Home Remedy For Dehydration?
Dehydration in children is a medical emergency case, and the child needs a doctor’s care A.S.A.P! The challenges with dehydration in children, especially when it’s caused by vomiting or diarrhoea, is the loss of important salts and water from the body.
There are home oral rehydration remedies that can buy you enough time to take your child to the clinic. Homes should have the WHO/UNICEF ORS standard sachet: dissolve it in 1 litre (L) of clean water and let the child drink it in case of diarrhoea or severe vomiting.
Also, for those who don’t have that at home, the good news is that you can make a cheap and easy one by following this recipe:
- Six (6) teaspoons of Sugar.
- Half (1/2) teaspoon of table Salt.
- One Litre of clean drinking or boiled water that is cooled.
Remember! This home remedy can only be used to buy time for you to take your child to a doctor for further treatment, please! Don’t use over the counter drug for diarrhoea to treat your child.
