Infectious diarrhea, as public health problem, in Romania

Abstract

From medical point of view, “Diarrhea” is an alteration in a normal bowel movement characterized by an increase in the water content, volume, or frequency of stools. Acute diarrhea of infec­tious etiology, often referred to as gastroenteri­tis and is typically associated with clinical signs and symptoms including: nausea, vomiting, abdomi­nal pain and cramps, bloating, flatulence, fever, passage of bloody stools, tenesmus, and fecal ur­gency. Infectious diarrheal diseases are the second leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is the diarrhea we have also found out, during a large 3 yeas study 2017-2020 in Transylvania – Romania. 3577 number of cases were transmitted during this time, to our Public Health Center, by 12 district Sanitary Polices. These were mostly diagnosed by the territorial family doctors and more than 50%, have need hospitalization, for several days because of the mentioned disease disorders. The detected infectious etiology, were determined in authorized laboratories in which it was identified: Shigella, Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Yersinia, Rotavirus, Giardia. Most number of cases appeared in children, followed by elderly or adult people, as quantified number of determination. In light of these data, acute diarrheal illness had to be considered a major public health issue against which control efforts are needed. Public health surveillance and response in the field of infectious acute diarrhea include obligatory strategies of infection control.