Botswana - Infant Diarrheal Epidemic
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Regional Team: SWAN
Medical Crisis Declared: 3/13/2006
Brief Description: Beginning in January 2006, an unusual and severe outbreak of diarrheal disease affected children
under five years of age in 11 districts of eastern Botswana. The U.S. Embassy in Gaborone reported 290 infant deaths and 15,000
cases from January to March 10, compared to 25 deaths and 9,166 cases of diarrhea in all of 2005. The U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) laboratories identified two major pathogens in stool samples-cryptosporidium and enteropathogenic E.
coli-that contributed to the epidemic and resulted in the high morbidity and mortality from diarrhea. According to the U.S. Embassy,
65 percent of infants admitted to hospitals due to diarrhea were also seriously malnourished, which complicated treatment and control
of the epidemic. The two pathogens may have exacerbated a fundamental problem with malnutrition and access to appropriate water and
sanitation in the community.
On March 13, 2006, U.S. Ambassador Katherine H. Canavan issued a declaration for a medical crisis due to the ongoing infant diarrheal
epidemic. In response, OFDA provided $50,000 to CDC to support ongoing clinical pediatric treatment and epidemiological
investigations of the outbreak's source and causative agents.
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