Why is every country not primed to use oral rehydration therapy to treat cases of diarrhoea?

a Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston Massachusetts, USA, and Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi. Correspondence to Richard A Cash (email: [email protected]) In March 1971 civil war broke out in the then East Pakistan, which nine months later led to the birth of Bangladesh. Within months millions of refugees had crossed the Indian border and so by the conclusion of the war in December 1971, there were an estimated 10 million refugees. With such massive displacement of people it was inevitable that the strain on resources, especially water and sanitation, would lead to outbreaks of diarrhoea. As cholera was endemic to the region it was no surprise when major epidemics occurred in the refugee camps beginning in early June 1971.