Diarrheal diseases on the rise

Diarrheal diseases have been revealed to be rising by the International Federation of Red Cross Societies.

The organisation announced statistics that show there has been a 35 per cent increase in the number of requests for emergency aid to help deal with diarrheal illnesses.

These can lead to deadly outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, which diarrheal diseases accounting for around 20 per cent of all child deaths.

Uli Jaspers, head of the Red Cross water and sanitation team, said that aid workers could be "losing the battle".

"This is especially diseases have become endemic," he added.

All that is needed to help stop the disease is getting children access to the cheap and simple treatment of salts and zinc tablets.

In developing countries, approximately four billion episodes of acute diarrhoea occur every year, according to the Institute for OneWorld Health Diarrheal Disease Program.

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