Prevalence of Bacterial Gastroenteritis among Hospitalized Infants and Children with Acute Diarrhea in Pediatric Hospital, Ain Shams University

Abstract

ABSTRACT Acute gastroenteritis is one of the most common infectious diseases and a significant cause of morbidity after upper respiratory tract infections. It accounts for a large proportion (18%) of childhood deaths, with an estimated 1.5 million deaths per year, making it the second most common cause of child deaths worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) and The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimate that almost 2.5 billion episodes of diarrhea occur annually in children younger than five years in developing countries, with more than 80% of these cases occurring in Africa and South Asia (46% and 38%, respectively) (Bhutta, 2011).