Changes of diarrhea in rural areas of huaihe river basin

Abstract

Background/Aim diarrhea is a group of digestive tract diseases caused by multiple pathogens and multiple factors. it has the characteristics of rapid transmission and wide epidemic range, and causes a heavy disease burden worldwide every year. the huaihe river basin has the highest population density of all the major rivers. in order to investigate the epidemic situation, related risk factors and changes of diarrhea among rural residents, scientific basis was provided for the prevention and control of diarrhea.Methods a diarrhea study was conducted with 13484 subjects from 2007 to 2008 and from 2015 to 2018, using the same questionnaire.Results the incidence of diarrhea in rural areas of huaihe river basin was 0.765 episodes per person-year from 2007 to 2008, which increased by 0.505 times per person per year from 2015 to 2018. the incidence of diarrhea was influenced by the highest temperature and precipitation at 20-20 hours. the risk factors included not washing hands before meal, having mouldy food, drinking no-tap-water, and water jar use in 2007~2008.the risk factors included having mouldy food and drinking no-boiled-water in 2015~2018. in multivariate analysis, having fresh staples, having tap water, and no water jar use were associated with lower diarrhea risk significantly in 2007~2008. in multivariate analysis, having mouldy fruits and vegetables and drinking unboiled water were associated with diarrhea risk significantly in 2015~2018.Conclusions the incidence of diarrhea is increasing in rural areas of huaihe river basin compared with ten years ago. the hazard factors changed and varied in each district and county. the eating and drinking habits play an important in the process of the onset of diarrhea. the rural water supply project should be centralized in order to ensure the safety of rural drinking water, while strengthening the health education and promoting the sanitation of household water use.