DIARRHEAL DISEASES IN THE WHITE MOUNTAIN APACHES - EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES

Acute diarrhoeal disease in children is known to be a major public hea lth problem among native Americans living in reservations in the south western part of the United States. This study was undertaken to descri be the epidemiology and causative agents of diarrhoea more completely, with the expectation that this information may help in the ultimate c ontrol of the disease in this population. Three interrelated epidemiol ogic studies were carried out in the White Mountain Apache Tribe, Whit eriver, Arizona, during 1981-1985: a three-year longitudinal study on a cohort of 112 newborns, a longitudinal two-year study in a cohort of 200 families, and a case-control study on 1,072 children with diarrho ea attending a medical facility. Both epidemiologic and microbiologica l patterns of diarrhoeal disease were found to be very similar to thos e seen in developing countries, indicating the need for basic improvem ents in sanitation and hygiene in this population.