Diarrheal diseases are a leading cause of death for young children, accounting for nine percent of all deaths worldwide in children under five years of age, with most occurring in children under two years of age. Now, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) found that even milder cases of diarrheal diseases can lead to death in young children.

This research, the latest report from the Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS), published in Lancet Global Health, “provides a strong rationale for vigorously acting to prevent or to treat all cases of diarrheal illness, regardless of severity,” according to Myron M. Levine, MD, DTPH, the Simon and Bessie Grollman Distinguished Professor and Associate Dean for Global Health, Vaccinology and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Levine, who served as the overall coordinating investigator for GEMS research, led a large international consortium of investigators from North America, Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Australia.

Read more here: https://www.medschool.umaryland.edu/news/2020/UM-School-of-Medicine-Research-Shows-Less-Severe-Cases-of-Diarrheal-Illness-can-Still-Lead-to-Child-Deaths-Even-Weeks-Following-Onset-of-the-Illness.html