Persistent diarrhea as an emerging child health problem.
Persistent diarrhea (i.e. acute episodes lasting more than 14 days) has been recognized by the WHO as a major public health problem in developing countries and a research topic of high priority. Persistent diarrhea is often associated with malnutrition, growth faltering, and a substantial risk of mortality in children below 5 years of age. Reported incidence and case-fatality rates from persistent diarrhea vary substantially. Substantial disagreement exists regarding definition, incidence and various putative risk factors. Resolution of such measurement related problems will allow for an accurate estimate of the force of morbidity and mortality from presistent diarrhea, while the elucidation of its risk factors will simplify policy making and the tailoring of intervention programs.
Department of Community Health Science, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1772, USA.
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Galal