Illustration of Shigella, a genus of Gram-negative bacteria responsible for causing shigellosis, a severe form of bacterial diarrhoea. These pathogenic bacteria invade the intestinal lining, leading to inflammation, cramps and bloody stool. Image Credit: Ruslanas Baranauskas/Science Photo Library via Getty Images
Health The WorldDeaths From Gut Infections Fall by Nearly Two-Thirds
Global deaths from infections affecting the digestive system, including diarrhoeal diseases, fell from 3.69 million in 1990 to 1.27 million in 2023.
“This decline is consistent with the expansion of public health measures and broader socioeconomic development,” said the GBD 2023 Diarrhoeal Disease and Enteric Infectious Diseases Collaborators.
These illnesses, known medically as enteric infectious diseases, are infections of the intestines caused by viruses, bacteria or parasites, often spread through contaminated food or water. The global death rate fell by more than three-quarters between 1990 and 2023, while 141 of 204 countries and territories had reached an international target for reducing diarrhoeal deaths among children under five. The progress shows the value of sustained efforts to prevent and treat these infections, although the greatest remaining burden is concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
