Rapid Fire
Global Decline in Diarrhoeal Disease Deaths
- 20 Dec 2024
- 2 min read
A recent study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases highlights a decline in global deaths caused by diarrheal diseases.
- There has been a nearly 60% drop in global deaths due to diarrhoeal diseases, with 1.2 million deaths reported in 2021, down from 2.9 million in 1990.
- Children under five and the elderly (above 70 years) remain highly vulnerable, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where mortality rates are highest.
- Notably, while mortality among children under five has decreased by 79%, this age group still experiences the highest mortality rate.
- Disability-adjusted life years (DALY) , representing years of life lost and lived with disability, dropped from 186 million in 1990 to 59 million in 2021, with 31 million in children under five.
- In high-income countries, there are less than one death per 100,000 population in children under five, while sub-Saharan Africa reports at least 150 deaths per 100,000 population in the same demographic.
- Diarrhoea: Diarrhoea is defined as the passage of three or more loose or liquid stools per day (or more frequent passage than is normal for the individual).
- The most severe threat posed by diarrhoea is dehydration.
Read More: Stop Diarrhoea Drive, Asian Conference on Diarrhoeal Disease and Nutrition
