[Evaluation of a prevention program against nosocomial rotavirus infections in a pediatric ward]

The incidence of nosocomial rotavirus infections was evaluated by a study made in the pediatric ward in Cholet during the winter of 1993-1994. A second study was performed three years later at the same place and in similar conditions in order to evaluate the efficacy of the prevention measures taken in between.

All children below three years of age and admitted to hospital between 1 December 1996 and 15 March 1997 were included in the prospective study (348 children). Fecal specimens were collected for each patient at admission in order to search for rotavirus. Then, a second stool analysis was performed if diarrhea occurred during hospitalization or within 48 hours of discharge. These last cases were detected by a phone call.

Thirty percent of the children had diarrhea at admission to hospital (19.3% in 1993-1994). Rotavirus was present in 11.8% of the first stool analyses (8.6% in 1993-1994). The rotavirus nosocomial infection rate has decreased from 3.7% (13 cases) in 1993-1994 to 2.9% (ten cases). The mean length of hospitalization has also decreased from 2.7 to 1.6 days.

The decrease in the rotavirus nosocomial infection rate leads to enforcing the prevention measures, among which the most important seems to us to be the short length of stay. However, the study also shows the limits of prevention that are linked to the virus characteristics and the conditions of hospitalization.