Presence Of Garbage Research Articles

Magnitude of Active Trachoma Among Host and Refugee Children in Gambella Regional State, Ethiopia.

Trachoma is a serious public health concern and cause of blindness globally. Despite its vulnerability to all ages, children are more vulnerable to its adverse outcomes and devastating complications. This study assessed the magnitude of trachoma among children in host and refugee communities in Gambella, Ethiopia. A community-based comparative survey was done among 743 participants. Multistage sampling technique was used to select participants. Selected children were examined for trachoma using a 2.5x binocular loupe and graded using the World Health Organization (WHO) simplified grading system. A standardized, structured, and pretested tool was used to collect the data. Data were collected through interviews and observation. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were done to identify the associated factors. Variable with a p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. The magnitude of active trachoma was 119 (16.5%; 95% CI: 13.5, 21.4) with 36 (14.5%; 95% CI: 11.9, 18.8) and 83 (17.5%; 95% CI: 14.3, 22.7) from refugees and host communities, respectively. Poor knowledge of caregiver about trachoma [AOR = 3.55, 95% CI: (1.48, 8.85)], presence of human feces near the house [AOR = 4.57, 95% CI: (1.84, 11.34)], presence of garbage near the house [AOR = 4.07, 95% CI: (1.34, 12.36)], and the presence of flies on the face of the child [AOR = 3.42, 95% CI: (1.32, 8.84)] were significantly associated factors with active trachoma. Overall, one-sixth of children had experienced active trachoma. The magnitude of trachoma was higher in the host community compared to the refugees. Proper waste disposal and personal hygiene measures are important measures that should be addressed to tackle the problem.

Sanitary and Environmental Diagnosis as a Tool for Municipal Managers: Vista Alegre do Juá Occupation, Santarém, Amazônia, Brazil

Purpose: This work aimed to carry out a survey of the socio-environmental condition of Ocupação Vista Alegre do Juá, in Santarém-Pará, regarding water, sewage treatment and solid waste, which collected information to prepare the community's Resilient Development Plan. Method/design/approach: Data collection was carried out with the application of 300 forms, containing 42 semi-structured questions, which were applied on the 29th and 30th of August 2022. The questions asked aimed to characterize the environmental reality of the Ocupação Vista Alegre do Juá, in Santarém- Pará, in relation to the aspects of basic sanitation. Results and conclusion: Of the total respondents, 58% say they do not have treated water in their homes and 51% of sewage systems in homes are inadequate (for example, black pits and open sewage). Regarding solid waste, 67% say that the presence of garbage on their streets is common, which may be related to the fact that the garbage truck only keeps its route on the main street. Furthermore, 50% of residents report suffering from natural disasters (flash floods, floodings, landslides), attributing the action of these disasters to the absence of local infrastructure. Research implications: The information presented will serve to support a resilient development plan for the location, with the aim of assisting in the gradual insertion of actions and projects, reducing the existing social disparity, promoting sustainable urban development. Actions must prioritize collective sanitation solutions in which the community itself can contribute to reducing environmental impacts and the health of the population. Originality/value: This study offers scientific information as a conviction strategy about the results of the need for intersectorality between urban development, environment, habitation, sanitation and health.

Factors Influencing Efforts to Prevent DHF in the Community Health Center

Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) is an illness spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is infected with the dengue virus from the genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae. The research set out to identify what elements in the Working Area of the Sungai Guntung Public Health Center in the Kateman District of the Indragiri Hilir Regency of Riau were most influential in dengue prevention efforts. An analytical survey using a Cross Sectional Study design is used to conduct the quantitative study. All 19,271 adults living in the nine-village Sungai Guntung Health Center Working Area were included in the analysis. Up to 99 family heads were included in the Stratified Random Sample. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were employed to examine the data. Education, knowledge, attitudes, the role of health workers, water storage, and the presence of garbage were all found to be related to efforts to prevent DDB in the Working Area of the Sungai Guntung Health Center in the Kateman District of the Indragiri Hilir Regency of Riau. P = 0.000 0.025, 95% CI = 5.389-316.539, OR = 41.154; the most important factor is level of education. In order to avoid DDB in the Working Area of the Sungai Guntung Health Center in the Kateman District of the Indragiri Hilir Regency of Riau, the study's authors recommend focusing on education, knowledge, attitudes, the role of health professionals, water reservoirs, and the presence of rubbish.

Elementos determinantes de la satisfacción de la vivienda en México: análisis estimando un Modelo Probit Ordenado

This paper performs an analysis of the elements that determine housing satisfaction, as well as evaluates the probability that a household may be satisfied with it. For this purpose, an Ordered Probit Model was estimated. The data was collected from the National Housing Survey, 2020, carried out by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography in Mexico. In particular, this paper estimates the probability of satisfaction concerning specific variables to the housing and the environment. The main findings are households in lower socioeconomic levels are the most dissatisfied with their housing. When estimating the Ordered Probit Model, it is found that having a dining room, garage, water tank, and garden increases the probability of satisfaction, while suffering from humidity and subsidence decreases levels of satisfaction. Likewise, the presence of garbage and noise in the area decreases the probability of satisfaction. The relevance of taking these statistical approaches lies in the fact that they become a tool that facilitates the targeting of housing policy, allowing adequate management of programs and projects associated with improving the quality of life.

Ammoniacal Nitrogen Contaminant in Water of Kaliori Landfill Area in Banyumas

Kaliori Landfill is one of the inactive landfills in Banyumas Regency. The presence of garbage and a full leachate pond in the area is feared to pollute the waters around the landfill. One of the water quality parameters is ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N) based on Government Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia Number 82 in 2001. The aim of this research was to find the quality of water in landfill area based on ammoniacal nitrogen parameter. The water studied was one sample of leachate, two samples of river water and five samples of ground water in the landfill area with a radius less than 1 kilometers. Spectrophotometry method was used to find NH3-N concentration. Based on the test results, leachate and ground water have reach ammoniacal nitrogen quality standard, there were &lt;2.0 mg/L and &lt;0.5 mg/L respectively. Meanwhile, the ammoniacal nitrogen in river water was &gt;2.5 mg/L, they have exceeded the established quality standards.

Water, sanitation, and hygiene practices among rural households and related health impacts: a case study from some North Indian villages

Abstract The present study was carried out to assess the water availability, hygiene practices, and sanitary conditions in the households of open defecation-free (ODF) villages after achieving ODF status. Monitoring was conducted from 360 households of 9 ODF villages from 3 blocks of the Kurukshetra district of north India, using a questionnaire. The results interpreted that 78.33% of the surveyed population were using water supplied from government borewells and 65.55% of respondents agreed that their water is safe for drinking as they did not have any water-related diseases. Many respondents (57.2%) replied that someone in their family had suffered from waterborne disease in the preceding year. About 42.8% of households were treating their drinking water at the house level through methods like boiling, chlorination, and reverse osmosis systems. 90.8% of respondents said that they have access to a functional latrine facility. However, 5% population responded that they still prefer fields for open defecation (OD). Logistic regression results showed that the presence of garbage or litter and stagnant water near the household were associated with an increased risk of disease occurrence among the households. The findings suggested that people should maintain good sanitation and hygiene in their household surroundings to avoid health problems.

Effect of an illegal open dump in an urban forest on landscape appreciation.

Rubbish in a forest environment is a great threat to this ecosystem, but this threat may also apply to the lost benefits for visitors to the forest. Previous studies proved that forest areas have a positive effect on obtaining psychological relaxation in the people visiting them. However, it was not known whether this restorative experience could be disturbed in any way by the presence of an open dump in the forest. To check how the presence of a landfill affects the visitors, an experiment was planned in which the respondents observed a forest area with a landfill and a forest landscape without a landfill for 15 minutes (control). The respondents then assessed the landscape using the semantic differential method and the Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS). An analysis of these observations showed that the presence of a landfill in the forest significantly changed the appreciation of the landscape by the respondents, the values of positive experiences decreased, and the negative experiences increased. Restorativeness was also reduced. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the presence of garbage in the forest may interrupt the restorative experience of its visitors.

Environmental Legal Protection of Rivers in the Perspective of Sustainable Development

Objective : This research discusses the legal protection of the river environment from the perspective of sustainable development. The concept of sustainable development is especially important in guarding river protection, so it must really be applied. Methodology : The research method used in this study is normative juridical law research, namely examining legal rules and legal principles. Finding : Based on the study obtained, that river protection in Indonesia is still weak, as evidenced by the presence of garbage and waste found in several major rivers in Indonesia, in addition to the absence of concrete actions from the government in protecting rivers. Utility : This research is useful for evaluating protection measures and providing a reference for sanctions for river protection by the concept of sustainable development. Novelty/Originality : This study provides the idea that river protection can be optimized to reduce the level of pollution and river damage by properly applying the concept of sustainable development by the Environmental Protection and Management Act (UUPPLH) principle

Utilization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Technology for Mapping Mangrove Ecosystem

Technological developments, especially in remote sensing in mangrove mapping are growing. One of them is the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) as a vehicle for capturing aerial photo data. This study aims to map the mangrove ecosystem in order to find out spatial information with UAV technology and to identify mangrove species, distribution, and associations. The ground survey was conducted on 02 until 04 May 2019 in North of Lancang Island, Seribu Islands, DKI Jakarta Province. The mangrove data collection was carried out in four stations with marking, tracking the mangrove area and drone flights for taking aerial photo data. Based on the research, it was found that the mangroves were in good condition with an area of around 4 hectares, consisting of Rhizophora mucronata. However, there is a lot of waste around the mangrove ecosystem, especially inorganic waste in the form of plastic. Where the presence of garbage can cover the roots of the mangrove so that it can affect respiration and cause death in mangroves. The application of UAV technology that is integrated with GIS in mangrove ecosystem mapping is expected to be an alternative in extracting mangrove databases for future coastal ecosystem management.

Factors Associated with Malaria Preventive Measures among Pregnant Women in Guinea.

Background Malaria control interventions have been scaled up, particularly those in pregnant women in Guinea. Despite that, coverage of key malaria preventive measure (MPM) indicators remains low. Therefore, it is vital to understand the reasons behind that, especially for the low coverage of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) and long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets (LLIN). Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey in nine district hospitals in Guinea. Pregnant women received for delivery were interviewed to collect sociodemographic and obstetrical parameters. Associated factors with MPMs were investigated through univariate analysis and classification and regression tree (CART). Results A total of 2248 parturients participated in this study. Among pregnant women using mosquito nets (63.5% (61.4%, 65.5%)), only 41.2% (39.1%, 43.3%) had used it regularly during the last two weeks preceding delivery. Similarly, most pregnant women (57.9% (55.8%, 59.9%)) had received less than three doses of SP, and only a few pregnant women (23.9% (22.1%, 25.7%)) have benefited from full MPMs. Parturient's age, marital status, time spent in residence, place of residence, level of education, distance from home to the health centre, health conditions, occupation, head of the household's occupation, the presence of garbage and stagnant water in the neighbourhood, source of running water, and the number of pregnancies were significantly statistically associated with MPMs in pregnant women. However, the number of antenatal care visits (ANC), means of transportation used by the pregnant woman to accomplish ANCs, and stagnant water in the neighbourhood were the three preponderant factors. Conclusion The low coverage of SP and LLINs among pregnant women requires revitalising some strategies, especially improving ANC coverage and more efforts to reduce inequalities in access to those services due to sociodemographic status. Education on the benefits of these MPMs should also be emphasised.

Manajemen Tata Kelola Kota Medan Melalui Pendekatan Reduce at Source dan Resource Recycle

Abstract. Garbage is an important problem faced by several cities in Indonesia. These problems are more concentrated on waste management. The limited area of land for landfills affects waste management, especially waste disposal services. Only waste can be transported and disposed of to the TPA, while the rest is scattered in various places. The presence of garbage in Medan City is one of the problems faced by the community and city managers. especially in terms of providing facilities and infrastructure. The amount of this waste is expected to continue to increase, where the growth rate is every year. Piles of garbage that disturb the health and beauty of the environment are a type of pollution that can be classified as social environmental degradation. Based on the Regulation of the Minister of Environment Number 13 of 2012 concerning Guidelines for the Implementation of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, government officials and the community can work together in implementing waste management to create a clean and healthy environment. So far, the implementation of waste management has only relied on the collect, transport, and disposal approach by relying on the existence of a final processing site (TPA). In this journal, the problem formulated is how to implement waste management in the city of Medan by using the reduce at source and resource recycle approach through the implementation of 3R (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle)? The research method used in this journal is a qualitative descriptive research method. Therefore, all levels of society and the government of the city of Medan are expected to change their paradigm towards waste, namely seeing waste as something that has use value and benefits, so that it can treat waste as an alternative resource can be reused, either directly, the recycling process, or other processes. Keywords: Waste Management; Urban.

Ecotourism’s ethics: Self-organization and care in urban Guyana

In this article, I shed light on the ethical orientations of people who labour and invest in ecotourism, and the conditions through which ecotourism becomes recognizable as a neoliberal practice. I reveal that what distinguishes ecotourism is not merely its arrangements for the commodification of nature and related scientific enterprises. Instead, ecotourism depends in part on how people live with environmental degradation and the flexible ways in which they relate ideas of care to such lived experiences. Drawing on research conducted in urban Guyana, the article lays out people’s struggles to plan for mangrove tourism despite the presence of garbage and the threat of erosion to forests. In so doing, I illustrate that ecotourism expresses itself through self-organizing processes and therefore, is dialectically intertwined with sociopolitical strategies of care and its distribution.

IDENTIFIKASI PERILAKU DAN PERSEPSI MASYARAKAT TERHADAP PENCEMARAN AIR SUNGAI BEDADUNG DI JEMBER, JAWA TIMUR (Identification of communities behavior and perception on water pollution at Bedadung River in Jember, East Java)

Bedadung River is used as sources of raw water by The Drinking Water Company (PERUMDAM) and also for agricultural irrigation. The urban segment of Bedadung River flows through Patrang, Sumbersari and Kaliwates Districts. The burden of pollution in the Bedadung River is increasing along with community activities. Apart from anthropogenic activities originating from domestic waste, sources of pollution in the Bedadung River are also come from agricultural activities (fertilizer and pesticides), industrial activities, population growth, organic and inorganic waste, urban development and weak management systems. The research objectives were to identify the behavior and perception of the urban segment communities on water pollution at Bedadung River. This study used primary data from survey using 400 respondents and secondary data from some institutions. Survey showed that majority of the respondents through away garbage to channel and river, however for feces disposal, 75% of the communities already had toilets. Based on community perceptions the current status of the Bedadung River is 58% polluted, 7% unknown, and 36% is good. This perception is based on Bedadung River water conditions such as the presence of garbage, water clarity and water odor. In order to maintain the environmental quality of the Bedadung River, the community and related stakeholders have carried out river cleaning activities on a sustainable basis. This preliminary study is expected to provide preliminary information on managing community-based river water quality in a sustainable manner.

Perceptions and Social Values Regarding the Ecosystem Services of Beaches and Coastal Dunes in Yucatán, Mexico

The ecosystem services (ESs) approach has been used as a powerful tool for the analysis of socio-ecological systems to investigate the relationship between society and the environment. The aim of this article is to analyze the social perceptions of stakeholders, forms of use (sociocultural and economic), and the conservation of beaches and coastal dunes in Yucatán, Mexico. Interviews were held with focus groups to analyze the forms of use, social perceptions of stakeholders, and the conservation of beaches and coastal dunes in Yucatán, Mexico. The results indicate that these ecosystems are important to different types of activities related to regulating, provisioning, and cultural services. However, degradation is identified as a consequence of contamination and land-use change. The main identified threats are natural phenomena, followed by the presence of garbage, human presence in natural environments, infrastructure construction, and privatization of beaches. The opinions (e.g., conservation, ecosystem services provision, drivers of change), emotions (e.g., joy, fear, sadness), and knowledge of the local community and tourists with respect to these ecosystems were evidenced. In general, there is an absence of conservation and sustainable management projects. However, community perceptions provide an opportunity to outline public conservation strategies in which the community, as a component of these socio-ecosystems, can be fully involved in their implementation.

Urban ecology of hosts and vectors of Rickettsia in a rickettsiosis-endemic city of the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico

Rickettsioses are vector-borne zoonotic diseases that occur in urban environments. Currently, they are associated with the presence of domestic and synanthropic animals, the ectoparasites that they harbor, and their local habitat. The implementation of prevention actions relies on the understanding of the local ecology of interactions between hosts, vector species, and the etiologic agents. In this context, this study aimed to explore and describe the occurrence of infected mammals and their ectoparasites in human urban dwellings, and those characteristics of urban dwellings associated to the presence of Rickettsia infected animals in groups of households where at least one human case of rickettsiosis has occurred in the previous year of the study. Briefly, blood-samples and ectoparasites from synanthropic and domestic animals, were obtained from groups of households from different areas of an urban settlement. Serologic and molecular diagnostics helped to identify Spotted Fever Group (SFG) and TG (Typhus Group) Rickettsia in animal and ectoparasite samples. A total of 99 mammals were sampled, 29 opossums (Didelphis virginiana), 13 house mice (Mus musculus), seven black rats (Rattus rattus) and 50 dogs. Infection occurrence in opossums was 8.3% of SFG, 50% for TG, and 4.2% of undetermined group. For house mice 46.2% for SFG and 30.8% were undetermined. Black rats 28.6% of SFG and 57.1% undetermined. Finally, dogs were 19.1% of SFG, 57.4% to TG, and 23.4% belonged to undetermined group. A total of 424 ectoparasites were collected from the mammals. In opossums occurred the ticks Ambyomma sp., Ornithodoros (Alecterobius) nr. talaje, and the flea Ctenocephalides felis. In dogs we found the ticks Rhipicephalus sanguineus s. l., Amblyomma sp., O. (A.) nr. talaje, and the flea Ct. felis. No ectoparasites were collected from rodents. The occurrence of infected animals was associated primarily with the material of the backyard floor, the type of sanitary system in the household, the presence of garbage in the backyard, presence of firewood storage, stored polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containers for sale to recyclers, and the store of construction supplies in the backyard. Nonetheless a generalized linear model showed that the household with a backyard with a dirt floor or other non-concrete material has more chances of harboring infected animals (RR= 1.74, 95% CI= 1.07-2.84 and RR= 1.03, 95% CI= 0.39-2.32 respectively). In contrast, when the house has a sanitary system of urban sewer system or a latrine outside de house, the chances of having infected animals decreased significantly (RR= 0.39, 95% CI= 0.12-0.94 and RR= 0.46, 95% CI= 0.03-2.22). We conclude that both SFG and TG rickettsioses occur in animals and their ectoparasites in peridomiciles of urban households were at least one human rickettsiosis case had occurred.

Community Awareness in Household Waste Management

Garbage is the final waste from a production activity and household activities in general. Garbage is a big problem faced by every country. Garbage if not managed and handled will cause various problems to the environment and for humans themselves. The presence of garbage has a bad impact and has become a threat to the survival of all mankind. Waste is generated by human activities, therefore awareness and the role of humans in overcoming and overcoming it becomes important.

Evaluation of Potential Factors affecting the Distribution of Mysids (Crustacea: Mysidacea) in Puttalam Lagoon, Sri Lanka

Limited information is available on mysids in estuarine systems in Sri Lanka. Present study attempts to find out the distribution of mysids in Puttalam lagoon and also to evaluate the possible factors affecting its distribution. The spatial distributional survey recorded 30 mysid habitats. Mesopodopsis zeylanica, Mesopodopsis orientalis and a new Sirella srilankensis were identified, with M. orientalis being the most abundant and widely distributed species. Survey of temporal variation in mysid abundance was also carried out at two sites for a six months period. This collection of M. orientalis was the first record in Sri Lanka. Distribution of mysid species is primarily dependent on the salinity. Other than the salinity distribution, and abundance of mysids depend on water level and boundary conditions. The occurrence of mysids exhibited a strong positive correlation (P ≤ 0.01) with boundary condition of the lagoon, while presence of garbage, water level, and salinity correlated negatively. Furthermore, species distribution were strongly and positively correlated (P ≤ 0.01) with boundary conditions and negatively correlated with salinity and presence of garbage. The occurrence of M. zeylanica depended on low salinity level while M. orientalis and S. srilankensis depended on high salinity. Lower water levels and boundary vegetation were more favorable for mysids along with sites consisting of mangroves or widespread seagrass beds while soil filled boundary areas and waste disposal sites along the boundary were found to be unsuitable. Reforestation and restoration of mangrove boundary areas can enhance the biodiversity in the lagoon.

Impacto do turismo em duas trilhas na Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável da Barra do Una, Município de Peruíbe, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Os impactos da visitação compreendem toda ação humana direta que provoque dano ao meio natural, relacionada ao comportamento inadequado do visitante ou aos problemas de planejamento para a demanda de uso. Portanto, o objetivo foi avaliar os possíveis impactos causados pela visitação de duas trilhas principais (Costão e Deserta), localizadas na Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável da Barra do Una, durante o verão (alta visitação) e no outono (baixa visitação) de 2017. Para isso, as trilhas Costão e Deserta foram seccionadas, sendo respectivamente estabelecidos 4 e 10 pontos, onde foram avaliados indicadores de impactos físicos, biológicos e sociais por meio do método Visitor Impact Management. Os achados demonstraram, em ambas as trilhas, uma redução nos impactos relacionados aos problemas de drenagem, ao serem comparadas as estações do verão com o outono. A presença de lixo na trilha da Deserta na estação do outono foi menor quando comparada ao verão, enquanto os danos aos recursos naturais na trilha do Costão foram maiores no outono que no verão. Embora as trilhas estudadas estejam localizadas em uma Unidade de Conservação, a ausência de controle de visitação pública, assim como a falta de infraestrutura colaboram de forma negativa, resultando em danos de diferentes gravidades. Por fim, as ações propostas no presente estudo, como trilha guiada com monitor ambiental, controle de visitação pública, instalação de corrimãos, degraus e placas podem ser benéficas para reduzir e/ou reverter os impactos encontrados em ambas as trilhas.

ANÁLISE AMBIENTAL DA TRILHA SAHY-RUBIÃO NO PARQUE ESTADUAL CUNHAMBEBE EM MANGARATIBA (RJ) POR MEIO DE UM PROTOCOLO DE AVALIAÇÃO RÁPIDA / ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS OF SAHY-RUBIÃOTRAIL IN THE CUNHAMBEBE STATE PARK, MUNICIPALITY OF MANGARATIBA (RJ)

doi: 10.12957/geouerj.2017.23655 The creation of protected areas, aiming at protecting the natural and biological resources, becomes increasingly frequent. Many of these protected areas are located in areas of difficult access and have many natural attractions. Thus, when there is no adequate planning and handling, the use of trails in these areas can become a tensile force. This research aims to analyze and adapt to use an incipient trail in Cunhambebe State Park, in order to plan measures that enable its consolidation and conservation of protected areas. The chosen track allows the crossing between Sahy Valley and Rubiao, located in the municipality of Mangaratiba (RJ); it has great tourist appeal due to the high concentration of areas for bathing, as well as waterfalls and areas to view contemplation. For the research, an adjustment was made for mountain tracks (TM) for the Rapid Assessment Protocol (RAP) for rivers. Parameters were established for measuring the degree of track degradation, considering aspects such as bed characteristics, conservation of vegetation, presence of garbage, degradations, erosional features, among other aspects that may influence the quality of the environment and the user experience. In addition, it elaborated an elevation profile according to the degree of difficulty of the trail. The PAR-TM analysis revealed that the ninth section has the greatest impact and it is considered bad, since the other portions were defined as regular. It concludes that the disorderly use of the track can damage tourism and the conservation of the Park.

Etiologies, Risk Factors and Impact of Severe Diarrhea in the Under-Fives in Moramanga and Antananarivo, Madagascar.

BackgroundDiarrheal disease remains a leading cause of death in children in low-income countries. We investigated the etiology, risk factors and effects on nutritional status of severe diarrhea in children from two districts in Madagascar.MethodsWe performed a matched case-control study in 2011 to 2014, on children under the age of five years from Moramanga and Antananarivo. The cases were children hospitalized for severe diarrhea and the controls were children without diarrhea selected at random from the community. Stool samples were collected from both groups. Anthropometric measurements were made during follow-up visits about one and two months after enrolment.ResultsWe enrolled 199 cases and 199 controls. Rotavirus infection was the most frequently detected cause of diarrhea. It was strongly associated with severe diarrhea (OR: 58.3; 95% CI: 7.7–439.9), accounting for 42.4% (95% CI: 37.6–43.1) of severe diarrhea cases. At the household level, possession of cattle (OR = 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1–0.6) and living in a house with electricity (OR = 0.4; 95% CI: 0.2–0.8) were protective factors. The presence of garbage around the house was a risk factor for severe diarrhea (OR = 3.2; 95% CI: 1.9–5.4). We found no significant association between severe diarrhea and the nutritional status of the children at follow-up visits, but evident wasting at enrolment was associated with a higher risk of severe diarrhea (OR = 9; 95% CI: 4.5–17.9).ConclusionsSevere childhood diarrhea is mostly caused by rotavirus infection. An anti-rotavirus vaccine has already been introduced in Madagascar and should be promoted more widely. However, post-licensing surveillance is required. Interventions to improve the nutritional status of children, preventive measures focused on household and personal hygiene and nutritional rehabilitation during severe diarrheal disease should be reinforced.