Prevention of diarrhoea in young children in developing countries

An updated review of nonvaccine interventions for the prevention of childhood diarrhoea in developing countries is presented. The importance of various key preventive strategies (breast-feeding, water supply and sanitation improvements) is confirmed and certain aspects of others (promotion of personal and domestic hygiene, weaning education/food hygiene) are refined. Evidence is also presented to suggest that, subject to cost-effectiveness examination, two other strategies-vitamin A supplementation and the prevention of low birth weight-should be promoted to the first category of interventions, as classified by Feachem, i.e. those which are considered to have high effectiveness and strong feasibility.