By: Alanna Shaikh
Between Syria, Yemen, Somalia, and London, I think we could use some good news right now. Luckily, I have some. Sudan has just vaccinated its first child for diarrhea.
Diarrhea kills children in the developing world, in huge numbers. It’s not much more than an inconvenience in New York or Oslo, but in places where infrastructure is weak and clean water is hard to get, diarrhea is routinely deadly to kids, especially children under five. In fact, it’s the second leading cause of death globally for under fives (this WHO publication can tell you a whole lot more about it if you’re interested.)
The most common cause of diarrhea is rotavirus. Rotaviruses cause 527,000 deaths every year, most of them in children. They’re difficult to prevent without vaccinating, because they are highly contagious. They spread easily through fecal contamination of food or water. In environments where it is difficult to have good hygiene, rotavirus is almost guaranteed. » Read more: Sudan vaccinates its first child for rotavirus
