New Delhi: There has been nearly 60% drop in global deaths due to diarrhoeal diseases, but children and the elderly remain vulnerable and accounted for the highest mortality rates, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, according to a study published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases on Wednesday. Diarrhoea patients at a civil hospital in Panchkula in 2021. (HT File Photo) “In 2021, diarrhoeal diseases caused 1.2 million deaths worldwide, which is a substantial drop from 2.9 million deaths recorded in 1990. The largest decrease was among children under 5 years with a 79% decline, but that age group still had the highest mortality rate among all ages, followed by those 70 years and older,” read the findings from the study. According to the authors, it is by far the most comprehensive Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study conducted by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal. Regional disparities in diarrhoeal disease deaths remain stark, the authors said. Regions with high-income countries see less than one …