For children in poor communities, diarrhea remains a major cause of death and can lead to long-term consequences.


The Solutions
Simple and proven tools can prevent and treat diarrhea, and integrating them achieves the greatest impact.


The Report
Read our State of the Field Report to discover how we can stop the cycle of diarrheal disease.
ADVOCACY TOOLS
We bring diverse sectors together to break the poo taboo.

Vaccines blaze a trail for child health
2025 marks the 25th anniversary of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, an innovative funding model through which more than one billion children in low-income countries have been vaccinated.

Child health in Kenya: opportunities and actions
Kenya’s unified policy for child health is a commitment to families and communities.

Mar 27, 2025
Defending against disease
We can and should defend against diseases that keep children out of school, parents out of work, and soldiers from their posts.

Mar 26, 2025
Next-gen leaders in diarrheal disease: Q&A with Brittany Feijoo
We talked to Brittany Feijoo, a research associate at Johns Hopkins, about her career path and her research on diarrheal diseases in Kenya.

Mar 19, 2025
Confronting cholera and drought in Zambia
The recent cholera outbreak in Zambia is a reminder that water security, public health, and energy supply are deeply interconnected.

Mar 13, 2025
Next-gen leaders in diarrheal disease: Q&A with Dr. Elizabeth McQuade
We sat down with Dr. Elizabeth Rogawski McQuade, a rising star in the diarrheal disease research space, to hear more about her work.

Feb 13, 2025
#EndCholeraNigeria: A Journey of Multisectoral and Political Commitment
Last week, the Government of Nigeria launched its National Strategic Plan of Action on Cholera Control 2025–2029, outlining a national strategy to reduce cholera deaths in Nigeria by 90 percent by 2029.

Jan 31, 2025
Four more films that put the “act” in Action!
Back in 2015, DefeatDD published our first-ever movie review highlighting five films that imparted valuable lessons about diarrheal disease (DD). Ten years later and with Academy Awards season in full swing, we thought it the perfect time for a follo...
DefeatDD welcomes new team member: Tara Petronio
DefeatDD is kicking off 2025 with a new addition to our team. Please help us give a warm welcome to our new Communications Associate, Tara Petronio! [Holding for virtual applause.] You may have already met her indirectly: she’s jumped right in as t...

Jan 08, 2025
How much is norovirus to blame for the global burden of childhood diarrhea?
Preventing norovirus could make a significant health and economic impact, not to mention a more pleasant holiday season.

Dec 18, 2024
Time to evolve our thinking about breastfeeding
If we’re serious about boosting rates of breastfeeding, we’ll stop putting women in all-but-impossible positions.

Dec 04, 2024
The health and economic benefits of investing in new vaccines for diarrheal diseases
We estimate the potential economic impact of vaccines using a metric called societal net monetary benefits.

Nov 15, 2024
We can defeat diarrhea outbreaks if we prepare for them
We get it. Things feel heavy right now. Heartbreaking conflict. Record-breaking heat. Economic hardship. In enduring these things, children suffer the most: according to UNICEF, diarrhea kills more children in conflict settings than violence. Climate...

Oct 15, 2024
Why do we wash our hands with soap and water?
” After seeing the germs, handwashing has become fun for me. ” – Irina Naher Raduga, 9, Bangladesh. Photo: PATH/Maksudur Rahman My wife and I always remind our daughter to wash her hands throughout the day, especially after playing with...

Oct 09, 2024
What can neighbor countries do to prevent diarrheal diseases caused by floods?
As there is no such thing as national borders in nature, countries must look beyond these jurisdictions to prepare for flooding and manage the risk of diarrheal diseases.

Sep 24, 2024
Drug resistant diarrheal disease: a journey
Drug resistance is a major global health challenge, and it continues to worsen. A problem with many causes, rising drug resistance has placed an increasing burden on global health and children are among those shouldering the consequences. How th...

Sep 18, 2024
Drug resistance: what is it and what can we do
School pupils Ashley and Liz stop on their way from school to drink and wash their faces with water from an aquifer that serves the domestic water needs for several homesteads at a rural village in Kenya. Sources for clean drinking water are essentia...

Diarrhea kills half a million children each year. Awareness is the first step to action.

Where health care is hard to reach, vaccines are the best protection against severe diarrhea.

Access to ORS and zinc could prevent more than half of diarrhea deaths.
