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A group of six children stands in front of a brick wall. They are looking at the camera with varying expressions. Some children have their hands on their hips, while one has her hand above her head. All are dressed in casual clothing. The image is monochromatic.

Three young children stand together outdoors, with one child wearing a shirt featuring illustrations. The background shows a rough building structure and draped fabric, indicating a rustic setting. The children have neutral expressions.

The Global Crisis

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

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A monochrome close-up of an infant with wide, expressive eyes, holding onto a small clear cup while lying on a blanket. The image has a grunge-style white paint effect at the bottom.

A baby with wide eyes is wrapped in a soft blanket. An adult hand is gently holding a small cup close to the baby's mouth.

The Solutions

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

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A young child, smiling brightly, runs through a foggy field. The image is in grayscale with an artistic white paintbrush effect along the bottom edge. Trees and misty landscape form the background.

A joyful child with short hair is running along a path, wearing a buttoned shirt and shorts. Trees and grass are in the background, and the image has a grayscale filter.

The Report

Read our State of the Field Report to discover how we can stop the cycle of diarrheal disease.

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ADVOCACY TOOLS

We bring diverse sectors together to break the poo taboo.

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A close-up of an adult hand holding a health record card, with a small child’s hand gently grasping one of the adult's fingers. The health record card has text and data entries on it. The background fabric is patterned with colorful designs.

Vaccines blaze a trail for child health

2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), a system that works to ensure successful supply and delivery of critical vaccines to each child.

Child health in Kenya: opportunities and actions

Kenya’s unified policy for child health is a commitment to families and communities.

Cartoon poop with a happy face between a purple bag with female symbol holding sanitary products and a teal scale. Text reads "Sanitation uplifts girls" and "#PooGuru" on a yellow background.

Poo Guru

Meet the Poo Guru! She is flush with facts about toilets, sanitation, and their vital role in global health. On World Toilet Day, she helped us raise awareness about global sanitation solutions.

The Blog

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A woman in a pink shirt smiles while holding a baby wrapped in a blanket. They are sitting on a wooden chair inside a room with posters on the walls and medical equipment in the background.

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.

A person in a blue apron prepares a syringe, drawing liquid from a small vial indoors. The focus is on the hands and the vial. The background is softly blurred, with a door in the distance.

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.

A cartoon shows a toilet wearing a superhero cape and a syringe in a mask high-fiving. Text reads "Tag Team Against Outbreaks," "Toilets and vaccines prevent diarrhea!" and hashtags #WorldToiletDay and #DefeatDD. Logos for PATH and Poo and Pee are included.

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...

The image is split into two sections: on the left, a girl with a floral headband looks through a microscope. On the right, a girl wearing glasses and a school uniform is washing her hands with soap in a bathroom.

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...

Rickshaws navigate a flooded street in an urban area, with colorful buildings and shops in the background. Pedestrians walk nearby, and a tree stands in the foreground, partially painted white and red.

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.

Illustration showing purple bacteria labeled "Shigella" with text stating it's a severe, increasingly drug-resistant cause of diarrhea. The background is dark with abstract curvy shapes, and "DefeatDD" is visible at the bottom left.

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...

Flowchart titled "Diarrhea and Malnutrition: A Relentless Loop." It shows a cycle: Chronic Diarrheal Disease leads to Gut Damage, then to Malnutrition, then to Impaired Immune Response, circling back to Chronic Diarrheal Disease. Causes include unsafe water, poor hygiene, and pathogens.

Sep 04, 2024

What does nutrition have to do with diarrhea?

We all know that the food we eat impacts our health: good, nutritious foods mean a strong and healthy body. But there is more to it – nutrition plays a vital role in child health and impacts the risk of diarrheal disease. Diarrhea is one ...

Illustration of an oral cholera vaccine on a shield, symbolizing protection. Surrounding are sketches of informal settlements, displacement camps, and natural disaster recovery. Text: "Oral Cholera Vaccine = immediate protection against outbreaks.

Aug 27, 2024

Preventing the cycle of monsoon floods and cholera through vaccines and safe water

The summer monsoon season in Asia, known for heavy rainfall that often leads to flooding, has reached new heights in countries like India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. These floods contribute to the outbreak of diarrheal diseases. ...

In a rural setting, a woman weighs a baby on a hanging scale, using a bright red cloth. Several women and children dressed in traditional, colorful clothing observe the process. Lush green plants and simple structures are visible in the background.

Aug 07, 2024

Unintended consequences: When hygiene programs burden women

Primary care in a Kaqchikel Maya community in rural Guatemala, checking monthly growth of infants.

A group of five adults stands in front of a colorful balloon arch at a festive event. The arch features balloons in various shapes and colors, including flowers, stars, and swirls. All are smiling and holding props, and one person is wearing a backpack.

Jul 24, 2024

Five and Thrive!

The DefeatDD team celebrated a global health success story – more children than ever are reaching their fifth birthday!

A purple image features a periodic table element box for Zinc, symbolized as Zn with the atomic number 30. The word "DEFEATDD" is displayed in white and yellow capital letters on the right side of the image.

Jul 10, 2024

Zinc: a simple, underutilized treatment for diarrhea

The combination of ORS and zinc is the gold standard for diarrhea treatment. But why is ORS recommended to be combined with zinc?

A woman with curly hair, glasses, and a black jacket is standing next to a black water pump on a hexagonal stone base with a plaque. She is smiling and holds the pump with one hand. The background shows a street, brick buildings, another person, and a parked van.

Jun 26, 2024

Plumbing the depths of diarrhea etymology

The DefeatDD team is comprised of word lovers. Yet you might be surprised how the worlds of language and science are intertwined. Diarrhea, for example, can be traced to the Greek diárrhoia, meaning to flow through...

A blue background with the text "DEFEATDD" in white and orange on the left side. The right side features a pattern of syringes angled diagonally, filled with an orange liquid.

Jun 18, 2024

Diarrheal disease vaccines: what do we know?

Despite great progress to improve global child health, diarrhea remains the second leading killer of children under age five. Fortunately, vaccines are available or on the way for some of the top causes of diarrhea:

A person wearing a mask is feeding a child in a room with medical supplies. In the foreground, there is a booklet titled "DIARRHOEA!" on a table, depicting a village scene. The room has educational posters on the wall and medical equipment scattered around.

Jun 05, 2024

Collaboration and dissemination essential to cholera control strategy development

In recent months, the world has seen a rise in global cholera outbreaks. When outbreaks emerged in Kenya and Uganda, national governments looked to PATH for support in mitigating risk to communities.

Illustrated image showing a diverse group of raised hands, some holding objects like a megaphone, a smartphone, and signs, set against a splash of purple paint. The scene represents activism and collective action.

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

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Illustration of multiple syringes with orange plungers and needles, set against a blue textured background. The syringes are arranged in diagonal rows, creating a patterned effect.

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

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$A bold white fraction "1/2" with a downward arrow to the left of it is printed over an orange paint splash background.$

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

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A colorful jigsaw puzzle piece is divided into four sections, each depicting a different educational element: a flip chart on a stand (top left), a periodic table symbol for zinc (Zn) (top right), an apple with a cross-section showing seeds (bottom left), and a thermometer (bottom right).

We can save more lives from diarrhea by combining all available tools.

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