Related Experiment Videos
[Rotavirus diarrhea. Impact in a pediatric hospital of Buenos Aires]
F S González1, M E Sordo, G Rowensztein
1Laboratorio de Virología, Hospital de Niños Dr. Ricardo Gutiérrez, Buenos Aires.
Insights
Rotavirus diarrhea significantly impacts children under three, causing 36-45% of cases in outpatient and hospitalized settings. The rotavirus vaccine, administered at 2, 4, and 6 months, could prevent the majority of these preventable diarrheal diseases.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric infectious diseases
- Virology
- Public health
Context:
- Rotavirus is a leading cause of severe diarrheal disease in infants and young children globally.
- The study was conducted in anticipation of the rotavirus vaccine's introduction.
- Understanding the local disease burden is crucial for vaccine impact assessment.
Purpose:
- To estimate the burden of rotavirus-associated diarrhea in a pediatric hospital setting.
- To identify the age groups and seasonality of rotavirus disease.
- To inform the potential impact of rotavirus vaccination.
Summary:
- A study of 648 children under three years old found rotavirus in 36% of outpatient and 45% of hospitalized diarrhea cases.
- An estimated 1674 rotavirus diarrheal episodes occur annually in outpatient clinics, with a small proportion requiring hospitalization.
- Rotavirus cases peaked between March and June, predominantly affecting children aged 6 to 23 months.
Impact:
- The findings highlight the significant burden of rotavirus disease in young children.
- The study underscores the potential of the rotavirus vaccine to prevent a substantial number of severe diarrhea cases.
- Results provide valuable data for public health strategies and vaccine program evaluation.
Abstract:
Anticipating the use of the rotavirus vaccine, we performed this study in order to estimate the rotavirus disease burden in a pediatric hospital. We studied 648 children < 3 years of age between September/97 and August/98, assisted at the Outpatient Diarrhea Unit, or hospitalized due to acute diarrhea in our Hospital. We found rotavirus associated to 36% of the diarrhea cases studied in the Outpatient Clinics, and in 45% of the hospitalized children. We estimate the assistance of 1674 rotavirus diarrheas per year in the Outpatient Clinics, but only 14 of them required hospitalization. The study describes a peak of rotavirus diarrheas between March and June, and another peak of rotavirus-negative diarrheas between January and March (probably due to bacterial diarrheas). Rotavirus disease presented a higher frequency between 6 to 23 months of age; only 10% of the 233 rotavirus cases occurred in children older than 24 months and 13% in infants less than 6 months of age. The situation described is significant because the recently licensed rotavirus vaccine is being used in 3 doses at 2, 4 and 6 months and could have prevented most of the rotavirus cases observed during this study.