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<p>Diarrhoea is major cause of death and ill-health throughout the developing world and is the leading cause of death in children in Africa and the second leading cause globally.</p><p>Diarrhoea is primarily caused by poor water, sanitation and hygiene and the World Health Organisation estimates that improving these services could avoid 2.4 million deaths annually. The Department for International Development makes significant investment in water, sanitation and hygiene programmes. These interventions are the most effective—and value for money—investments that can be made to prevent diarrhoea from occurring.</p><p>As part of investments in health systems, the Department also supports the health sector in developing countries to control and treat diarrhoea. Where large outbreaks occur, the Department provides funding for the treatment of diarrhoea, including through the use of oral rehydration therapy and provision of antibiotics where these are required.</p><p>We are conscious that more needs to be done to develop effective diarrhoea prevention and control. To this end the Department funds three key research programmes:</p><p>In collaboration with PATH, we fund the Enteric Diarrhoeal Diseases programme which is developing new vaccines, against a number of different bacteria and viruses that cause diarrhoea;</p><p>Again with PATH, we fund the One World Health programme which is developing new drugs to treat diarrhoea; and,</p><p>The Sanitation and Hygiene Applied Research for Equity programme which is carrying out research to understand how we can improve sanitation and hygiene and prevent diarrhoea.</p> |