Diarrheal disease is considered to be a major health problem in children. It contributes to remarkable mortality and morbidity in children under the age of 5 years with the problem being more pronounced in developing countries. It has been estimated that about 2.5 billion cases of childhood diarrhea are reported annually and it accounts for 9% of deaths in under-five children globally. Such data makes diarrhea the second leading cause of death in this population. Furthermore, in South Asian and African countries, about 82% of under-five deaths are caused by diarrhea.1 Its prevalence in the Indian subcontinent has been estimated to range between 2.2% and 55.6% with children in rural areas less affected as compared to those residing in urban areas (Figure 1).2 Diarrhea is usually described as an abnormal increase in daily stool fluidity, frequency, and volume from what is considered normal for an individual or more specifically as three or more loose or liquid stools per day due to abnormally high fluid content.1 However, several forms of diarrhea have been identified based on the duration of symptoms (Box 1).