Perceived Severity

Care-seeking often escalates from home management to outside care as diarrhoea becomes severe or persistent. The duration of diarrhoea is a common trigger for seeking care, but the threshold for escalation varies widely. Diarrhoea alone is often not perceived as severe, especially in rural settings. Symptoms such as dehydration, fever, vomiting, appetite loss, bloody diarrhoea, watery diarrhoea, and cholera-like illness are associated with formal care-seeking.