Diarrheal diseases kill 1.2 million annually; 28% casualties are children

An Oxford-backed report says diarrheal diseases caused 1.2 million deaths in 2021, comparable to all violent deaths around the world. With 340,000 fatalities, it's also a leading cause of child deaths

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A new report from the Oxford-backed ‘Our World in Data’ reveals that diarrheal diseases claimed around 1.2 million lives in 2021. The shocking figure is comparable to all violent deaths combined, highlighting the urgent need to address this crisis.

The report noted diarrheal diseases as a leading cause of death among children and adolescents, making up 390,000 of the total deaths. “In recent decades, deaths from diarrheal diseases have fallen significantly across the world as a result of public health interventions. But more progress is possible,” the report, published on Thursday, said.

Leading cause of diarrheal deaths

The leading causes of these deaths include poor sanitation, lack of clean drinking water, and inadequate healthcare access, particularly in low-income countries.

“Death rates in low-income countries are almost fifty times higher than in high-income countries,” the report said. Diarrheal deaths are preventable because they are primarily caused by pathogens. Effective measures such as improving sanitation facilities can control the spread of these pathogens and help curb the crisis.

The report stressed on measures like access to clean water and sanitation, oral rehydration treatment, and vaccination. While the deaths due to the diseases have declined over the years, the latest figures are still sustainable and require urgent attention. In 2021, 340,000 children under the age of five died from diarrheal diseases.

Key insights on diarrheal diseases

>Diarrheal diseases are a leading cause of death among children

>Diarrheal death rates vary widely across the world

>Ten pathogens are responsible for most diarrheal deaths in children

>Rotavirus vaccination can prevent around a hundred thousand deaths each year

>Public health measures can substantially reduce diarrheal diseases

 

How to solve the crisis of diarrheal deaths

The report identified rotavirus as the most common cause of diarrheal deaths in children. To solve this problem, rotavirus vaccines need to be made more accessible to the general public. First introduced in the United States in 2006, the vaccines are still out of reach in countries like Congo, where fewer than one in five children are vaccinated.

Lack of awareness is also a key aspect to fight against this looming crisis. While measures like low-cost oral rehydration solutions are available, limited advocacy and awareness are major hurdles in the outreach of this treatment method.

The report also highlighted the issues of contaminated water and food, along with unsafe sewage systems. Measures such as chlorination and water filtration, pasteurisation can be effective in curbing the spread of this diarrheal disease. However, these interventions often remain underutilised due to poor infrastructure in many countries.