Home Management of Childhood Diarrhoea in a Poor Periurban Community in Dominican Republic (Survey‪)‬

INTRODUCTION Diarrhoea continues to substantially contribute to high rates of morbidity and mortality among young children in the Dominican Republic. Actual rates of mortality among children due to diarrhoea are difficult to pin down because of high rates of under-registration of deaths of infants and children (1). Among registered deaths in the Dominican Republic, intestinal infectious diseases are the most prevalent cause of death (16%) of children aged 1 to 4 year(s) and the second most common cause of death (15%) of infants aged less than one year (1). Twenty percent of children aged less than five years were reported to have had diarrhoea within two weeks prior to the 2000 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) conducted in the Dominican Republic as part of the End Decade Assessment (2). In addition, diarrhoea is one of the most common reasons for medical consultation, emergency treatment, and hospitalization in the Dominican Republic (1).