Diarrhea is a common ailment that affects many of us, from time to time. While it’s often the subject of off-colour jokes, in reality it’s the number two cause of death in children under five years old, after pneumonia. It accounts for over 500,000 child deaths each year according to the World Health Organisation, making it a major public health issue.

The majority of these cases are recorded in the developing world, due to a lack of safe drinking water. That isn’t so likely to be a problem in the Western world, but still, if your diarrhea lasts longer than a few days, or you notice certain unusual symptoms, then it might actually be a sign of a more serious health problem, so you’ll want to get it checked out. 

What exactly is diarrhea? So where does diarrhea actually come from? How can I identify the cause of my diarrhea? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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A Bababam Originals podcast written and produced by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

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