Nutrition and morbidity: acute lower respiratory tract infections, diarrhoea and malaria.

The three most important infectious diseases of young children in Papua New Guinea are acute lower respiratory tract infections, diarrhoea and malaria, each of which has been shown to have a negative effect on growth. Low nutritional status is associated with increased risk and severity of acute lower respiratory tract infections and with increased severity of diarrhoea. There is no evidence to indicate that malnutrition is associated with increased risk of malaria. Adequate control and prompt treatment of infectious diseases will improve nutritional status. At the same time, improvement in nutritional status will reduce morbidity and mortality due to infectious disease, particularly acute lower respiratory tract infections and diarrhoea.