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If mothers could recognize and treat dehydration early
on at home, the great majority of children would not need additional medical
care. While only 41% of mothers in Maharashtra can correctly identify
symptoms suggesting a child needs medical treatment for dehydration, 77% take
a child with diarrhoea to a health facility. In this way, better practice and
education would save mothers the trouble and expense of travelling to the
health centre (and also prevent them from spending money on unnecessary
drugs), and it would release some of the burden on health facilities,
allowing better treatment for children who are severely ill. |