How to save 54 million lives with a few pennies

[@FeliciaLim]

I've been watching so much John Green content that I honestly thought this is gonna be about TB

[@ShirinRose]

same 😂

[@susanne5803]

+

[@davidwilcox9110]

When in Haiti as a student (1960s) we made big pots of replenishing fluid and mothers sat around in a big tent spooning it into their babies. If the child had any ability to swallow when it arrived it left alive.

[@leza4453]

If they were still babies, wouldn't have breastfeeding done the same? Or is there a reason that wouldn't have worked in these circumstances?

[@SomeoneBeginingWithI]

​​​@@leza4453 If they're vomiting and having diarrhea they need much more fluid intake than normal, and their mothers body may not be able to increase production fast enough to respond to the sudden increase in demand. It's dangerous to give pure water to babies under 6 months because their kidneys aren't developed enough. Babies under 6 months need the electrolyte-water balance going into their bodies to be correct. Properly made oral rehydration solution for babies would be the same electrolyte balance as breast milk so it should be safe for them Also if a woman is ill herself especially if she's dehydrated her milk production can be reduced. If a baby is very weak they may not have the strength to suck effectively and drinking tiny sips from a spoon may be the only way to feed them. (In a hospital setting you might give a baby an NG tube but if they can be spoon-fed that's more practical in a disaster situation)

[@yeasr7781]

Your first viewer on the video is a Bangladeshi. Feels very meta

[@petertenoven3282]

This video is prove that you dont need top notch editing, an expensive camera and all the bish bosh that so many people think they need to make a good video. An intresting topic, a good story teller, a decent mic (although that clipon is probably better then decent) and your selfie camera on your phone is enough! Love the content rohin!

[@desertedham37]

too often I have patients in the ER who simply drink water with large volume vomiting and diarrhea. it's such a simple recommendation but i tell them you must drink gatorade or other electrolyte beverage. i didn't realize this was such a breakthrough development

[@jcortese3300]

Those reductions percentages are Ignatz Semmelweis-style numbers. Amazing guy -- thank you so much for telling me about him.

[@dorothea_walland]

i would put soap and disinfection in there too.. we won't even know (since Semmelweiss) how many diseases and infections were _not_ spread thanks to hygiene

[@benjamin_markus]

you mean Semmelweis?

[@andrewwmitchell]

Thanks. Great video. I will try to remember the name of Dr Dilip Mahalanabis.

[@sandwich2473]

I had absolutely no idea that this existed and how it seems so simple thank you for sharing

[@LadyPelikan]

This is why i like KZbin.

[@davidshi451]

It reminds me of the work done by Unicef director Jim Grant, who had a special talent for implementing vaccines and oral rehydration solution, even in totalitarian countries

[@matimari1080]

I was telling my sibling about him today! He was such a great person

[@owenjones2263]

Your videos keep me checking this platform. ORS is amazing, and the other I give a shout-out to is peanut butter for famine. I use ORS in the field in various countries and at home for hangovers. Incredibly simple solution (chemically and practically) and took a lot of thought to come up with, solves a very serious problem.

[@wordzmyth]

This is such an inspirational story. And shows even when you are right you need such persistence. And that we can make a difference when we donate "lifesaving packets of food" to places like Gaza right now

[@tonaaspsusa]

Nice to know the name. As a Nordic kid in the 70ies, my mother used to tell me about how important, simple and genius this discovery was. I knew it was recent (as in 20th century, possibly even post wwii), but not that it was that. There was also a household recipe version that was making the rounds at least up to the mid 80ies, but I can't remember exactly what it was. It was one of those basic things that you were taught in the Girl Guides and similar. Teaspoon of salt, tablespoon of sugar?

[@Gribbo9999]

Incidentally you can use the rehydrant packets as a sports drink. I always carry a few packets when I'm cycling in hot climates. They are available at almost all pharmacies in developing countries. So they are easy to find and at fraction of the price of fancy sports drinks which may not be available anyway. Just add water as they say!

[@AllIsWellaus]

I don't know what qualifies someone for a Nobel peace prize with someone with a PhD in med. Cynical me, maybe they're European or help to save westerners. I'm sure that's rubbish, but non the less, I think that he should have at least been nominated. What a truly monumental achievement.

[@arjun08090]

When I became a doctor I was so fascinated with rare syndromes and named diseases …….probably because most doctors I know have been misguided by the elevator epiphanies of Dr House Soon I realised that the world isn’t waiting for me to come up with a diagnosis that no one can think of I realised if I can treat hypertension and diabetes properly and convince patients that those pesky life style modifications are worth it I would be making a bigger difference In the field of medicine not even vaccines come close to ORS because they are so complex to manufacture then they require storage plus the administration not to mention the schedule / boosters Last month we had a cholera outbreak and we were smiling during rounds about the simplicity of work there …..just ensure adequate rehydration and move on to the next patient

[@sharpphilip]

Dr. Francis: As folks like me who aren’t medically trained struggle to remain vigilant in the face of quackery, etc., it’s interesting to me that it’s easy for a layperson to look back on Dr. Mahalanabis’s work and say “well, obviously he was correct-how silly for his work to have remained so fringe vis-à-vis intravenous saline!” Was it mostly prejudice that kept his work in the fringes? Was the rehydration therapy just not standing up to rigorous attention the time? It makes me wonder a bit about how to recognize therapies with “potential” among what’s new or tenuous at a given time. Do you reckon the world sometimes tosses out viable therapies alongside the baby and the bathwater, so to speak?

[@RICDirector]

I think for a long time, rehydration was pretty much viewed as something you did by IV, since all too often trying to get liquids in orally resulted in further vomiting and/or diarrhea. Short of IV hydration, it just wasnt possible to keep up with the fluid and electrolyte loss. Thats my theory and understanding, anyway. Having an oral fluid and electrolyte source which can be absorbed as fast or faster than the losses, is indeed a livesaving godsend.

[@andrewharrison8436]

Those numbers are astonishing, over a quarter of those cholera patients saved and so cheaply. Modern medicine in the west exists against a background of good hygiene (both personal and in terms of food and environment) and reasonable nutrition. It only makes sense to have high tech medicine once you get the basics right. What was the doctors advice?: don't smoke and fasten your seat belt or something like that.

[@CanadaLuke]

What a great story! The video title might be more attractive if it didn't sound like a fund raising campaign though.

[@therabbithat]

Why a few pennies saved 54 million lives? How a few pennies saved 54 million lives? Which a few pennies saved 54 million lives?

[@diyeana]

What a good human. ❤

[@andreforcier97]

Great work!!

[@ownerdirector4168]

It is indeed sad. Currently another great bengali Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen is being sued and targeted by the central govt controlled university for his views against the regime. Where as self proclaimed godman are being promoted by the same government.

[@Becky_Cooling]

6 months later, how long will it be before the main video goes out? sorry I'm being impatient

[@tomaskaluza]

That is indeed brilliant! Could you make a video on foldscope that is similarly simple and helps save people from malaria in many hard-to-teach places?

[@RICDirector]

SmarterEveryDay did an outstanding one on that.

[@LegendaryPatMan]

Ceralite 70 baby! The secret to any good first aid kit!

[@paulbiologist]

Excellent vid as usual. I want to offer a critique however- I think you're reinforcing a misconception about 1 min in. Diaorrhea is not really caused by "the body trying to get rid of the pathogen" - it's better thought of as the pathogen "trying" to get out to find new hosts.

[@Happy_Spatula]

Love your videos

[@brindmusicnerd]

💚💚💚

[@StaringCompetition]

OWID ftw

[@31redorange08]

Too many carbs for my taste. Is there a healthy alternative with sweeteners?

[@dempa3]

In case you are not joking: The sugars are needed to help you absorb the water, and rehydrate. Sweeteners won't achieve this. Some sweeteners, like xylitol, will instead act as a laxative.

[@施素珊]

Are you joking, or just hopelessly lacking all perspective on this topic?

[@TasteOfButterflies]

​@@施素珊Can you apply critical thinking and figure out what is more likely: that a person with acute diarrhea is scrolling KZbin researching a diet-friendy rehydration solution, or that they are joking?

[@evelynsaungikar3553]

Sweetness are not healthy.