Objective: To understand the trends of diarrhea mortality rate, pre-death diagnosis and treatment of children under-5 in China, from 1996 to 2006.
Methods: We used data obtained from the 1996 to 2006 national child mortality surveillance network, including 116 counties (cities) throughout China, to evaluate the under 5 mortality rate (U5MR) due to diarrhea in different geographical areas, and related factors of under 5 children mortality due to diarrhea.
Results: Data from the national U5MR due to diarrhea fell from 249.8 in 1996 to 75.6 per 100 000 live births, in 2006. The U5MR due to diarrhea in urban reduces from 11.6 in 1996 to 6.1 per 100 000 live births in 2006, with a reduction of 47.4%. The U5MR due to diarrhea in rural decreased from 304.7 in 1996 to 94.3 per 100 000 live births in 2006, with a reduction of 69.1%. The U5MR due to diarrhea in coastal, inland and remote areas fell from 48.9, 178.9 and 566.9 in 1996 to 6.2, 30.4 and 199.2 per 100 000 live births in 2006, with a reduction of 87.3%, 83.0% and 64.9%, respectively. Among the rural children died of diarrhea, about 37.9% were diagnosed in a village clinic, 15.1% never received any diagnostic procedure. Nearly 20% of the patients had not been treated, with 50% - 60% of them had only been treated in an outpatient department.
Conclusion: During 1996 - 2006, the U5MR due to diarrhea showed a substantially downward trend in China but the disparities between urban and rural, remote and coastal, areas were increasing.