A STUDY ON PREVALENCE AND SEASONAL VARIATION OF DIARRHEAL DISEASES AMONG UNDER-FIVE CHILDREN OF JHANSI, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA.

Background: Diarrheal disease forms one of the two major killer diseases in children under five years of age in the developing world. Data on the prevalence and related factors of diarrhea in Bundelkhand region is quite scanty. A community-based cross sectional study was undertaken among 301 under-five children of field practice area Medical College Jhansi during 2015-16, to find out the burden of diarrheal diseases and the effect of seasonal variation on the pattern of diarrheal diseases. Methods: Cross sectional study was carried out using pre-tested interview schedule. Results: Overall period (last 2 weeks) and point (24 hrs) prevalence rates of diarrheal diseases among children under-five age were calculated which came to the order of 36.1% and 12 % respectively. Prevalence of diarrhea decreased significantly with increasing age and was found to be higher during summer months. Conclusion: The burden of diarrheal disease in Bundelkhand region is quite high, like places in the developing world. The age pattern and seasonal pattern of the diarrheal disease also resembles that found in studies across India and the developing world.