Diarrhea in children
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How common is diarrhea in children?
Diarrhea in children is extremely common.

In children, a type of virus called a rotavirus causes most cases of diarrhea. Nearly all children catch this virus by the time they are 5 years old.

About 1 child in 78 will be admitted to the hospital because of diarrhea.1



Sources for the information on this page:
  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rotavirus diarrhea: Q&A. August 2006. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nip/diseases/rota/rotavirus.htm (accessed on 4 October 2006).
This information was last updated in Nov 12, 2007