New Cure for Cholera

Cholera rages in many parts of Asia where poverty impedes sanitation and millions drink polluted water. There is still no really effective vaccine for the disease, which causes a debilitating diarrhea and deprives the body of essential fluids. A century ago, doctors tried unsuccessfully to treat cholera by fumigating victims in a large wooden box. But in East Pakistan, where cholera is a major killer, a team of U.S. Public Health Service doctors has developed a simple cure that may save thousands of lives because it is far cheaper than preventive measures.

Working at the SEATO Cholera Research Laboratory in Dacca, the doctors vastly improved the usual treatment. This involves massive intravenous infusions of water and salts to replace the victim's body fluids and prevent dehydration. Unlike this procedure, the new cure requires little supervision or equipment. It relies on large oral doses of a solution whose ingredients--salts, baking soda and glucose--can be purchased cheaply in any village market. Patients in reasonably good condition simply consume about 21 qt. of the mixture; those who have reached the stage of intestinal collapse are first built up with a brief intravenous infusion, then put on the solution, which is flavored with lemon juice to improve its taste.

Though children are reluctant to swallow the solution, it has proved astoundingly effective with adults. Tested on more than 4,000 cholera victims in both Dacca and rural areas, it has proved as effective as intravenous treatment in curbing cholera mortality. Equally important in a country where the average per capita income is only $50 a year, it has sharply reduced the price of treatment. The cost of intravenous treatmen for cholera is about 200 rupees, or $42 Enough oral solution to cure the average victim costs only three rupees, or 63-c- .

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