DefeatDD

09/11/2025

Plan-EO, a multidisciplinary project at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, is using big data on diarrheal pathogens to create tools for disease prevention. 💪🦠

Plan-EO's online dashboard brings together huge amounts of data to track and predict where diarrhea-causing pathogens are, so local leaders, health workers, researchers, and project planners can act smarter and faster.

"When they know where the biggest risks are, they can make better decisions about where to run vaccine trials, plan water improvement projects, or prepare for outbreaks after floods," said Nasif Hossein, post-doctoral researcher who works on the project. "It’s incredible how much data is out there. It’s just a case of pulling it together."

More on our blog ➡ https://www.defeatdd.org/blog/plan-eo-big-data-to-tackle-diarrheal-disease/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=September2025&utm_content=PlanEO

The Plan-EO team's dashboard brings together huge amounts of big data to track and predict where diarrhea-causing pathogens are.

09/09/2025

🦠 "Mini guts" grown in the lab might sound like something out of science fiction. But this innovative technology is a breakthrough for researchers investigating ways to treat and prevent .

Norovirus is the leading cause of gastrointestinal illness across the world—and not to mention one of the most unpleasant. But despite this, no preventatives or therapeutics exist for the virus.

Now, mini guts are enabling scientists to understand the body's immune response to norovirus and investigate mechanisms for protective vaccines. Like a library of fingerprints, mini guts also have distinct physiological features that can help researchers understand why certain people are more susceptible to illness than others.

Read more on the blog ➡️

“Mini guts,” created from a series of biopsies of small intestinal tissue, are helping researchers explore new ways to prevent norovirus.

09/05/2025

Diarrheal disease patterns are shifting in ways that can be hard to predict. An interdisciplinary team at the UVA School of Medicine set out to change that with Plan-EO, a project that leverages big data to track and predict diarrheal disease pathogens.

"The Plan-EO team is building an online dashboard that brings together huge amounts of data to track and predict where diarrhea-causing pathogens are, why they’re there, and how things like flooding or climate change make it worse," said Josh Colston, assistant professor and leader of the project. "[Plan-EO] brings together epidemiologists and spatial demographers alongside researchers in climatology, data science, environmental engineering, and more."

Check out the Plan-EO dashboard to track diarrheal disease pathogens across the globe ⤵️

https://www.defeatdd.org/blog/plan-eo-big-data-to-tackle-diarrheal-disease/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=September2025&utm_content=PlanEO

The Plan-EO team's dashboard brings together huge amounts of big data to track and predict where diarrhea-causing pathogens are.

09/03/2025

Over the past three years, cases in Africa have more than doubled, with over 230,000 cases this year alone.

But a new cholera control plan launched by the World Health Organization African Region and Africa CDC aims to help bring outbreaks under control, mobilizing 350 cholera treatment centers and hundreds of outpatient treatment locations.

More from NPR ⤵️

https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/09/03/g-s1-86671/cholera-diarrhea-disease-africa

Why cholera is striking in Africa. It's a disease that's easy to control with proper treatment. But without medical care, patients can perish quickly.

08/28/2025

Sink faucets. Water fountains. Bottled water. 🚰

It's easy to overlook the value of safe drinking water when it's all around us. But across the globe, 1 in 4 people lacks access to this essential resource. 💧

Safe is key to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases like diarrhea. This , go back to basics with some of our explainers on water, , and ⤵️

Why does boiling water make it safe to drink? https://www.defeatdd.org/blog/why-does-boiling-water-make-it-safe-to-drink/

How does soap actually work? https://www.defeatdd.org/blog/how-does-soap-actually-work/

Boiling water and treating it with chlorine are two fast, effective ways to make water safe and prevent the spread of waterborne diseases.

08/26/2025

💧 Clean drinking water isn't just a human essential—it's also a powerful tool to defend against disease.

and are key to prevent waterborne illness like diarrhea, , & . As WASH systems come under strain, investing in safe water is all the more critical.

Explore our tools for advocacy ⤵

Climate change: a threat and an opportunity for safe sanitation Poor sanitation exacerbates waterborne illness such as diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid.

08/21/2025

When it comes to treating diarrhea, oral rehydration solution (ORS) is the gold standard. 🏆

Following ORS, a course of zinc strengthens the immune system and helps speed recovery. Zinc reduces the duration and severity of diarrhea and may help prevent diarrhea episodes for up to three months. 💪

Talk about a dream team—one that can make a big difference for children!

In its simplest presentation, ORS is a mix of water, sugar, and salt. This combination speeds replacement of fluids in the body. It has saved millions of lives and costs just pennies.

08/19/2025

When we think about disease, diarrhea isn't often top of mind. But diarrheal disease kills nearly half a million children under 5 around the world every year—especially in areas where safe , , and and access to medical care are lacking.

Get the facts on diarrheal disease and learn how we can make a difference on our website: https://www.defeatdd.org/

Diarrheal disease is the second leading killer disease of children under five around the world. This crisis is especially critical where safe water, sanitation, and access to urgent medical care are limited.

08/14/2025

Diarrhoeal diseases were once among Kenya's top child killers, with rotavirus leading the charge.

In places like Kihoto, where Lake Naivasha floods into backyards and contaminated wells, mothers would rush to clinics "with panic on their faces" as their children battled life-threatening dehydration.

This all changed in 2014, when the rotavirus vaccine was introduced nationwide in Kenya. Since then, Kenya has seen a 60-70% drop in rotavirus-related hospitalisations.

And the most important impact of all? A decade later, thousands of Kenyan children are still alive because of this vaccine.

The success has also boosted confidence in immunisation programmes nationwide, creating a ripple effect that protects against other diseases too.

08/12/2025

Ten years after introduced vaccines, fewer children are being hospitalized with severe diarrhea—an outcome that is helping strengthen trust in routine immunization.

More from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance here ⤵️

Not only are fewer children being hospitalised with severe diarrhoea, but the vaccine’s evident impact is boosting confidence in immunisation generally, experts say.

08/07/2025

Even in the most difficult settings, vaccines save lives. 💪

New evidence from shows that vaccinations have had an incredible impact from 2018 to 2024, reducing hospitalizations for young children and reinforcing the vaccine's real-world effectiveness.

Dr. Palwasha Anwari, a lead author of the study, breaks down the findings on our blog ⤵

In fragile settings like Afghanistan, ensuring vaccine access for the most vulnerable is not just moral imperative, it is a strategic public health priority.

08/06/2025

Despite conflict, instability, and a fragile health system, Afghanistan's commitment to rotavirus vaccines is strong.

The result: a 41% reduction in rotavirus-related hospitalizations.

More on this week's blog.

In fragile settings like Afghanistan, ensuring vaccine access for the most vulnerable is not just moral imperative, it is a strategic public health priority.