Diarrheal disease in a developing nation.

Abstract

Infants and young children from many developing nations face a serious public health threat from diarrhea. In the northeast region of Brazil, diarrheal disease causes significant morbidity and mortality. Although diarrheal deaths in this region have been declining since the early 1980s, the hospitalization rate remains high. Diarrhea may account for 25% of total healthcare costs in northeast Brazil. Many patients become ill because of poor environmental conditions and because their caregivers lack awareness of basic hygiene. Many also return to the hospital after initial treatment because health workers do not provide appropriate preventive and home care instruction to patients in 99% of cases. Antibiotics have no effect in 85-95% of pediatric diarrheal cases in the region. Improvement of preventive home care management in association with probiotic bacteria, which have been effective against several forms of diarrhea in developing nations, may be useful in managing diarrheal disease in infants.