ArticleJournal of epidemiology and global health2026
Economic Losses from Premature Under-Five Mortality due to Diarrhoeal Diseases in South Asia: Trends, Aetiologies, and Key Risk Factors.
Article in Journal of epidemiology and global health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDiarrhoeal diseases remain a major cause of under-five mortality in South Asia despite global health progress. This study quantifies the economic losses due to premature under-five deaths from diarrhoeal diseases, analyzing trends, aetiologies, and risk factors across five South Asian countries between 2010 and 2023.
methodsUsing data from the datasets published by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and World Bank indicators, the study applied the human capital approach to estimate the present value of lost future labour income associated with diarrhoeal deaths among children under five. Losses were estimated in both purchasing power parity (PPP)-adjusted and nominal U.S. dollars to reflect real productivity losses and fiscal implications, respectively.
resultsWhile age-standardized mortality and DALY rates declined significantly across South Asia (EAPC - 5.2 for both), the economic burden of premature mortality due to childhood diarrhoeal diseases remained substantial. India accounted for the largest absolute loss in future labour income, estimated at USD 5,581 million PPP, followed by Pakistan (USD 1,571 million PPP) and Bangladesh (USD 360 million PPP). When expressed relative to national GDP using nominal estimates, Pakistan experienced the highest proportional economic loss, equivalent to approximately 0.055% of GDP in 2023, followed by India (0.020%), Bangladesh (0.012%), and Nepal (0.005%). Major etiological agents included rotavirus, Shigella, and Escherichia coli, while unsafe water, poor sanitation, and child undernutrition were the leading attributable risk factors. CONCLUSIONS AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS: Despite epidemiological gains, diarrhoeal diseases continue to impose substantial economic and developmental costs in South Asia. Strengthened investments in WASH infrastructure, nutrition, and vaccination programs can yield dual benefits by saving lives and reducing future productivity losses. Integrating child health strategies into national economic planning is imperative for sustainable growth.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.