Diarrhoeal disease is a major cause of mortality in children in developing countries. It also remains a serious problem among all age groups throughout the world. Whereas studies to determine the epidemiological and aetiological factors of diarrhoeal disease have been reported for other parts of South Africa and the world, as yet no information is available for the Eastern Cape. Therefore this study was undertaken to determine the factors for this area. Enteropathogens were compared for the different ages in the various population groups and, where possible, seasonal and geographical differences were emphasised. A total of 7 278 faecal samples were examined by six laboratories in the Eastern Cape during the period November 1988 to October 1990. Data was recorded noting the age, sex and population group of the patients. The towns selected were Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage, Cradock, Grahamstown and their surrounding areas. The isolation rates for the pathogens studied in the various population groups were compared to those reported in similar studies in other countries. The seasonal incidences of the various selected pathogens were compared with those reported from elsewhere in South Africa. It was thought that the higher temperature of summer may influence the finding in the White population group, while rainfall would play a greater role for the Coloured and Black populations. The geographical distribution of the pathogens emphasised the difference in living conditions between the different population groups. For example a generally higher infestation rate of Helminths occurred in rural areas and in the groups living under poorer conditions. The low isolation rates for certain bacteria and the large percentage of samples from which no pathogens were isolated indicate the need for further research. However, the finding should be valuable for determining Public Health priorities and in the management of outbreaks of diarrhoeal disease.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:rhodes/vital:4045 |
| Date | January 1993 |
| Creators | Baxter, Esther |
| Publisher | Rhodes University, Faculty of Science, Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Masters, MSc |
| Format | 310 p., pdf |
| Rights | Baxter, Esther |
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