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Breastfeeding and the risk of rotavirus diarrhea in hospitalized infants in Uganda: a matched case control study

Eric Wobudeya1, Hanifa Bachou, Charles K Karamagi

  • 1Department of Paediatrics & Child Health, Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda. ewobudeya@gmail.com

BMC Pediatrics
|February 19, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Breastfeeding did not show protective effects against rotavirus diarrhea in Ugandan infants. Further research into rotavirus vaccination and zinc supplementation is recommended for prevention.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Rotavirus infection causes significant global mortality and morbidity in infants, particularly in developing countries.
  • Breastfeeding is recommended by the World Health Organization to save young lives, but its effect on rotavirus diarrhea is debated.
  • Conflicting results from previous studies necessitate further investigation into breastfeeding's role in preventing rotavirus diarrhea.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the effect of breastfeeding on rotavirus diarrhea among hospitalized infants in Uganda.

Main Methods:

  • An age-matched case-control study was conducted in a national referral hospital's pediatric emergency unit.
  • Ninety-one pairs of infants (rotavirus diarrhea cases vs. non-diarrheal controls) were enrolled.
  • Antecedent breastfeeding patterns were compared between cases and controls using enzyme immunoassay for rotavirus detection.

Main Results:

  • No protective effect of breastfeeding against rotavirus diarrhea was observed (Odds Ratio: 1.08, 95% Confidence Interval: 0.52 - 2.25).
  • The observed association between breastfeeding and rotavirus diarrhea was not statistically significant (p = 0.8).

Conclusions:

  • Breastfeeding was not found to be protective against rotavirus diarrhea in the studied infant population.
  • Complementary preventive strategies, including rotavirus vaccination and zinc supplementation, should be explored.
  • These alternative methods may help reduce rotavirus diarrhea incidence in infants, regardless of feeding practices.
Abstract

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