Overview Product Pipeline V. Leishmaniasis Diarrheal Disease Malaria Chagas
   
Institute for OneWorld Health—Diseases and Programs: Diarrheal Disease Diarrheal disease is a fundamental threat to the health of children in the developing world. Second only to respiratory infection, diarrheal disease is a leading cause of death among the world's children, responsible for approximately two million deaths annually. It is commonly caused by infection with a variety of bacteria, parasites, and viruses. 		 
  Learn More About
Diarrheal Disease (DD)
  Download the DD Fact Sheet (PDF)
 
  Institute For OneWorld Health Announces Strategic Advisory Board For Diarrheal Disease Program
OneWorld Health Press Release  04.29.08

Roche and the Institute for OneWorld Health Announce Research Collaboration to Fight Neglected Diarrheal Diseases in Developing Countries
OneWorld Health Press Release  04.17.08

OneWorld Health Sponsors Diarrheal Diseases Symposium at PEDICON 2008 to Share Information on Effective Therapies against Major Child Killer
OneWorld Health Press Release  01.19.08

Dr. Victoria Hale to Build upon OneWorld Health’s Success for Broader Global Health Impact
OneWorld Health Press Release  09.27.07

 		 


  iOWH at PEDICON 2008 India

OneWorld Health sponsored a symposium at the 45th National Conference of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics in Orissa, India. The event highlighted clinical and programmatic evidence of the success of zinc as an effective therapy for diarrheal disease, a critical health issue that disproportionately affects impoverished populations.
  Professor Henry Binder, Yale University – Mechanisms of action of various anti-diarrheal agents, with an emphasis on Zinc’s Mechanism Of Action, and other anti-secretory approaches.
  Dr. Panna Choudhury, Maulana Azad Medical College and Lok Nayak Hospital - Effectiveness trials of zinc: updates on recent trials relevant to India / S Asia.
  Mr. Deepak Saksena, POUZN Project Country Director, India – Innovative strategy for the introduction of zinc in India.
 

   


The Global Burden of Diarrheal Disease
Diarrheal diseases are the major cause of childhood hospitalization, primarily for dehydration. Each year in developing countries, roughly four billion episodes of acute diarrhea, or approximately 3.2 episodes per child, occur among children under five years of age.

Diarrheal episodes can be either acute or persistent (lasting two weeks or more). Of all childhood infectious diseases, diarrheal diseases are thought to have the greatest effect on growth, by reducing appetite, altering feeding patterns, and decreasing absorption of nutrients. The number of diarrheal episodes in the first two years of life has been shown not only to affect growth but also fitness, cognitive function, and school performance.

Preventing exposure to the pathogens responsible for diarrhea is the only way to avert infection. Unfortunately, this requires massive improvement in both sanitation and nutritional status in developing countries, which is unlikely to occur in the short term.


 
OneWorld Health’s Response
1) Development of safe, effective and affordable anti-secretory drugs for adjunct use with Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) to treat pediatric and adult secretory diarrheal diseases in developing countries.

OneWorld Health is currently engaged in further optimizing two classes of novel anti-secretory molecules for advancement into IND-enabling pre-clinical studies to support future clinical evaluation. Final clinical testing of these potential drug candidates will be conducted in diarrhea hospitals or diarrhea centers of excellence, such as the Centre for Health and Population Research (ICDDR,B) in Bangladesh, and later expand to general hospitals in the developing world. Ultimately, our goal is to develop drugs with a very high margin of safety to eventually be used in very rural settings with little medical supervision.

2) Educate and communicate the latest advancements in drug and vaccine research and development for diarrheal diseases.

To further educate the scientific and medical communities about other new potential drug treatments for diarrheal disease, OneWorld Health periodically sponsors symposia, workshops, and conferences.

In December 2005, at the 54th annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, OneWorld Health convened a panel of clinicians and global health experts to review the current situation and practice of ORT in developing countries, and discuss novel inventions to combat secretory diarrheal disease. These experts also shared their insight on how these new strategies can be integrated into health policies that influence the current system of care.

 

In 2006, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded OneWorld Health a $46 million grant to combat diarrheal disease.
  
  
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