|
BACKGROUND REPORT MARCH 19, 2009
Diarrheal diseases
Diarrheal diseases, most commonly
caused by gastrointestinal infections, result in loose stool and can
cause dehydration and sometimes death. Severe diarrheal diseases include
cholera, dysentery, typhoid and rotavirus.
Diarrhea is a leading cause
of preventable death, resulting in 4 percent of all deaths worldwide.
Each year diarrheal disease kills 2.2 million people, the majority of
whom are children in developing countries.
The dehydration caused by diarrhea is particularly dangerous and deadly
to children under five, and diarrhea is the third-largest cause of death
for this age group.
Diarrheal diseases also have
a profound effect on growth and malnutrition. They can reduce appetite,
alter feeding patterns and decrease absorption of nutrients.
Diarrhea is caused by a host
of bacterium, viruses and parasites most of which can be spread by contaminated
water. Lack of proper sewage and clean drinking water, poor hygiene
conditions, living closely with animals and lack of food refrigeration
can all lead to the spread of diarrheal disease within a population.
Many of the most well-known
forms of diarrheal disease, such as typhoid fever, rotavirus and cholera,
spread through what is called the fecal-oral route, where fecal matter
gets into water, or is passed onto food from unwashed hands. Rotavirus
is the leading cause of severe diarrheal disease and dehydration of
infants in both developed and developing countries, according to the
CDC. Cholera epidemics usually spread quickly through this route, and
if left untreated can kill a healthy adult within hours because of dehydration.
Other routes of infection also
exist, for example Cholera bacteria also occur naturally in coastal
waters and can infect people through improperly cooked seafood.
The aftermath of a natural disaster or the disruption of normal sanitation
conditions can all increase the risk of transmission of diarrheal diseases.
Severe watery diarrhea indicates
the body is not absorbing water and results in the loss of large amounts
of fluids in a short period of time, causing dehydration. A loss of
10 percent or more of total body weight indicates severe dehydration.
Other symptoms of severe diarrheal disease can include nausea, vomiting,
cramps and even hypovolemic shock, where dehydration causes a drop in
blood pressure and a reduction in the oxygen reaching the tissues of
the body, which can cause death. Other diarrheal diseases can cause
fever, a rash, fatigue and delirium.
Preventative efforts focus
on good sanitation, access to safe drinking water and eating food that
has been thoroughly cooked. Encouraging mothers to breastfeed their
babies until six months of age is also used as a preventative strategy,
because it provides a baby with an uncontaminated meal.
There are vaccines available
for some forms of diarrhea disease. The rotavirus immunization is becoming
increasingly cost effective for use in developing nations. There is
also an oral cholera vaccine has been recommended for use in emergency
response situations
In most cases, diarrheal diseases
can be cured with rehydration salts that help replace lost fluids. In
especially severe cases, intravenous administration of fluids may be
needed to save a person from dehydration.
Diarrhea caused by an infection
is sometimes treated with antibiotics. Zinc supplementation during acute
diarrhea can also help save a patient's life.
Sources: Mayo Clinic, CDC,
National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine, World
Health Organization, "The Essentials of Global Health" by
Richard Skolnik.
|
