Immediate and sustained action urged as diarrhoea remains among leading causes of child mortality despite improved access to clean water and sanitation Half a million children under the age of five died from diarrhoea-related illnesses in 2015, despite a significant reduction in the number of child deaths from such diseases over the past decade. The number of deaths fell by 34% between 2005 and 2015 after concerted efforts to improve water and sanitation worldwide, according to a study published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal on Friday. However, 499,000 children under five – and 1.3 million people of all ages – died as a result of diarrhoea in 2015, making it the fourth leading cause of mortality among young children. Diarrhoea was responsible for 8.6% of all deaths among under fives.

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