Risk factors for disease and death

 

People in South Asia are at a higher risk of developing infectious diseases and dying from their illness than people in industrialised countries.³ The root causes are poverty and its associated problems of unhygienic living conditions, malnutrition, illiteracy, and poor access to clean water, toilet facilities, and quality health care.

In South Asian children, poor nutrition and deficiencies in micronutrients (vitamin A and zinc) are important underlying risk factors for death due to infectious diseases.^4-6 Around half of the children in South Asia are underweight or stunted, and malnutrition contributes to an estimated 55% of deaths in children.