The incidence of campylobacter enteritis among children visiting the outpatient department of a teaching hospital in north-west Ethiopia was prospectively studied over a period of 12 months from June 1994 to May 1995. Campylobacter spp. were isolated from the stools of 60 children out of 434 investigated by culture (13.8%). The highest isolation rate was found in children aged from 6 to 24 months. The period of peak isolation was September to November. Among children aged 1-5 years, campylobacter was more frequently isolated from those presenting with persistent diarrhoea than from among those with acute illness (OR 2.53; 95% CI: 1.02-6.18). Culture positivity was higher among malnourished children. Our findings demonstrate the important role played by this pathogen in childhood diarrhoeal illness in the area.