5.5.3 Follow-up care for persistent diarrhoea
Children who have been classified with diarrhoea will need follow-up care to ensure that rehydration/hydration is maintained and to assess that the diarrhoea has stopped. You should give follow-up care after five days:
Ask:
- Has the diarrhoea stopped?
- How many loose stools is the child having per day?
Treatment:
If diarrhoea does not stop after five days, do a full reassessment, treat and refer the child to hospital.
If the diarrhoea has not stopped (the child is still having three or more loose stools per day), do a full reassessment of the child, give any treatment needed and then refer the child to hospital.
If the diarrhoea has stopped (the child is having less than three loose stools per day), you should tell the mother to follow the usual feeding recommendations for the child’s age. You will learn more about feeding recommendations in Study Sessions 10 and 11 of this Module.
5.5.2 Persistent diarrhoea