Study the Diarrheal Disease in Children Under 5 Years During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Basra

Abstract

Diarrhea is a serious disease in children, especially children under 5 years of age. Globally, an estimated 1.5 deaths occur in children under-5 years of age each year due to it. The main aim of this research is study the pattern of diarrheal diseases in under 5 years children during the covid-19 pandemic. The results revealed a monthly distribution of diarrheal cases during 2020 as a (U) shape pattern with the highest number in December (3719 admitted cases 47.6% ). The most common causative agent of diarrheal diseases was found to be Rotavirus followed by Entamoeba histolytica with the highest number of rotavirus in April and May while E. Histolytica recorded the highest number in December. The study concluded that fluctuation of the incidence rate of diarrheal cases in under 5 years children during the years of 2019 and 2020 and rotavirus was discovered to be the most common pathogen, and the second most commonly isolated pathogen was found to be Entamoeba histolytica. And the main recommendation of the study is to focus on health programs to eliminate the causes of diarrhea in children, especially rotavirus and Entamoeba histolytica, particularly during the winter season.