Gastroenteritis

It is estimated that three to five billion cases of gastroenteritis occur globally on an annual basis, primarily affecting children and those in the developing world. It resulted in about 1.3 million deaths in children less than five as of 2008, with most of these occurring in the world's poorest nations. More than 450,000 of these fatalities are due to rotavirus in children under 5 years of age. Cholera causes about three to five million cases of disease and kills approximately 100,000 people yearly. In the developing world children less than two years of age frequently get six or more infections a year that result in clinically significant gastroenteritis. It is less common in adults, partly due to the development of acquired immunity.