Acute diarrhoea is one of the leading causes of mortality in infants and young children. Evidence suggests that probiotics can reduce diarrhoea duration. As the effects of probiotics are strain specific, the effect of Bacillus clausii UBBC-07, a safe probiotic strain in the treatment of acute diarrhoea in children was studied. The double blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel group multicentric study was conducted at two outpatient facility sites in Lucknow, India. Children aged six months to five years suffering from acute diarrhoea, were randomly assigned to receive either probiotic (B. clausii UBBC-07) spore suspension or placebo suspension twice daily apart from oral rehydration solution (ORS). The duration of treatment was for five days with a follow -up until the 10th day. Outcomes evaluated were duration and frequency of diarrhoea, consistency of stool, fever and vomiting. The duration of diarrhoea was significantly shorter (P<0.05) in patients who received B. clausii suspension (75.66±13.23 h) than in placebo treated group (81.6±15.43 h). The average daily number of stools (frequency) was 8.67±3.42 at baseline in treatment group receiving B. clausii and 8.53±3.19 in placebo group. By day 4, there was a significant reduction (P<0.01) in frequency of stools in probiotic treated group (3.46±0.66) as compared to placebo group (4.57±1.59). Improvement in stool consistency was also observed in the probiotic treated group as compared to the placebo group. There was no effect on vomiting and duration of fever. B. clausii UBBC-07 significantly decreased the duration and frequency of diarrhoea as compared to placebo indicating effectiveness of strain in the treatment of acute diarrhoea in children and could be a safe alternative to antibiotics.

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Background: Acute diarrhea is a common problem in children especially in poor and developing nations. It is one of the leading cause of under-five years’ mortality globally. The children used to die each year of dehydration and electrolyte imbalance caused by acute diarrhea. Despite of WHO recommendations on the use of ORS and zinc in the management of acute diarrhea as a simple and effective treatment, the prescribing trend of ORS and zinc in acute diarrhoea is not up to the mark, which further increases the burden of the problems. Objectives: we aimed to assess; (1) prescribing trend of ORS and zinc in acute diarrhoea in children aged 6months to 5years by health care providers, (2) to asses’ proportion of patient education in acute diarrhea by health care providers.Methods: This was a qualitative, cross-sectional, hospital based study carried among children aged 6months to 5yrs.Results: This study was conducted among 313 children of acute diarrhoea who had been treated outside. Mean age (months) was 27.53±15.87. Out of all children who were treated from outside, 180 (57.50%) took treatment from general physician, 113 (36.10%) children took the treatment from pediatrician, and 20 (6.85%) took the treatment from the physician and 25 (7.9%) took treatment as over the counter antidiarrheal by the pharmacists. Out of them dehydration was documented only in 97 (30.99%), while ORS was given in 229 (73.16%) and zinc was given in 121 (38.65%) children. Patients education was done in 39 (12.46%).Conclusions: There was gross under implementation of treatment guidelines in the management of acute diarrhea by health care providers especially by general physicians.

Jhum is a swidden agriculture agroforestry system indigenous to India. It enriches crop diversity and dietary diversity, helping to ensure food security and nutrition. However, jhum is now being rapidly abandoned in favour of intensive agriculture, often involving monoculture. Such changes in land use are a major threat to local food security. Based on a survey of 97 households in four villages of the West Garo Hills in the state of Meghalaya in north-eastern India, jhum and the corresponding food diversity (as maintained by the Garo indigenous communities) were examined. We used a mixed-methods approach to quantify the contribution to dietary diversity, and food and nutritional security. The jhum system of farming comprised of 39 crops and four indigenous breeds of livestock, which were categorized into five core food groups that sustain nutritional security and the food culture of indigenous people. The traditional food basket is supplemented with wild edible plants collected from fringes of forest and jhum fallows that are part of the system. The traditional foods of Garo communities, that are drawn almost entirely from locally available sources, are a significant part of local culture, and serve to reinforce conservation of biodiversity. The traditional food diversity guarded by indigenous people can serve as a basis for designing and implementing public policies aimed at ensuring food security of those regions that practise such systems, and more widely. Given this close interdependence between agrobiodiversity, culture, and livelihoods prevailing in the community, the present study recommended for keeping some area under traditional land use, supplemented with fresh measures to ensure its economic viability. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12571-021-01251-y.