The Dialectics of Childhood Diarrhea Mortality

Abstract

As in European countries a century ago, diarrhea is a major cause of child mortality in poor countries today. In Stockholm at the turn of the 19th century, political commitment, infrastructural investments in water and sanitation, and enforcement of sanitary improvements by a strong implementing organization helped eliminate diarrhea as a principal cause of death among children. These interventions also had an equitable impact on social class differences in diarrhea mortality, but not on overall mortality; overall mortality declined, but class differences remained. General infrastructural improvement and health education coupled with targeted interventions to vulnerable children may be successful in improving child health and reducing social differentials in mortality. Specific health care interventions may need to be complemented by infrastructural investments to improve water and sanitation if diarrhea mortality is to be further reduced in poor countries today.

The epidemiological and clinical characteristics and nutritional development of infants with acute diarrhoea, in north–eastern Brazil

“…Those considered indispensable include the promotion of breastfeeding, improvement in freshwater supplies and sanitary conditions, and instruction in personal, domestic and food hygiene and weaning (Clasen et al, 2006;Luby et al, 2006). The strong association between low income, poor living conditions and the occurrence of diarrhoea is well documented (De Souza et al, 2001; Oberg, 2006). In the present study, in terms of the epidemiological characteristics investigated, the cases and controls were broadly similar.…”

Changing speed of reduction in under-5 mortality rates over the 20th century

“…15 Further, after the neonatal period, diarrhoea and pneumonia are the leading causes of under-5 deaths in LMICs 7 , as they were historically in high-income countries. 16 17 Among low-income countries, 43% and 70% do not have access to basic drinking water and sanitation, respectively, a major cause of diarrhoea. 4 Further, 88% of the population in low-income countries do not use safe cooking fuel, 4 a significant cause of pneumonia, and 46% do not receive healthcare for symptoms of acute respiratory infection.…”