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2. What amount of salt should be used in Rehydration Drink?
Doctors, scientists, and ‘armchair experts’ usually recommend that rehydration
drinks have about the same concentration of salt as is in the human body (about
3½ grams, or 1 level teaspoon per liter). This is the amount used in the UNICEF
packets.
However, people do make mistakes sometimes. When it comes to medicines,
many persons think, “The more, the better.” Because the most common mistake is
to put in too much rather than too little, many persons with community experience
believe it is wiser to recommend a lower salt concentration. (In Where There Is
No Doctor, we suggest half the UNICEF amount.) Since a lower concentration
usually causes no problems, and a higher concentration can be dangerous, this is a
sensible precaution. It takes into account not only the scientific ideal, but the reality
of human nature. This is a factor the experts often forget.
Even the WHO, belatedly realizing this human factor, now often recommends
that you “give a glass of plain water between each glass of ORS (Oral Rehydration
Solution).” A wiser plan would be to face up to human error— their own as well as
other people’s—and put less salt in the packets.
Imposing outside controls is not the best way to deal with this issue. Instead,
help people to realize the importance of using the right amount of salt. And show
them how to test for it (see the story on p. 1-27). Here is a good test to help people
make sure that the drink is not too salty: