Diarrhea is common among children – most children have three – five episodes of the disease yearly. Diarrheal disorders, i.e. infectious diarrheas, are responsible for a large proportion (18 percent) of childhood deaths. Globally, diarrhea ranks after pneumonia as the second leading cause of death, especially among children under five years of age.
How it occurs
Diarrhea occurs when you have repeated, watery bowel movements. This is the reason why it is most commonly known as loose motions.
Diarrhea is usually the result of a gastrointestinal infection caused by pathogens such as bacteria, virus or other parasites. There are a number of ways in which your child – or you for that matter – can catch these germs. These include:
- Contaminated food or water.
- Direct contact with a person who is suffering from diarrhea.
- Contact with germs left behind on surfaces, such as floors, walls, toys, or furniture.
These are some of the risk factors for diarrhea in children:
- Lack of breast feeding
- Poor food hygiene
- Bottle feeding
- Malnourishment
- Infections like measles
Apart from these, there are other causes of diarrhea such as changes in diet or use of antibiotics, but these are not infectious types of diarrhea.
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