© 1993 by Oxford University Press
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DiarrhoeaA Continuing Health Problem in Jordanian Infants
Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jordan Amman, Jordan
Gastroenteritis remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality among infants in the developing world. Four-hundred-and-forty-two children admitted with gastroenteritis (GE) were studied. Three-hundredand-eighty-one children (86 per cent) were aged less than 1 year; 253 infants (66 per cent) of those were less than 6 months of age (P<0.001).
Oral rehydration solution (ORS) had been attempted in 205 cases (46 per cent) prior to hospital admissions. Fourteen children (4 per cent) died as a result of GE. Gastroenteritis remains a major health hazard in Jordan. Oral rehydration therapy is expected to be adopted more in the management of Jordanian infants with acute gastroenteritis.