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Prevalence of rotavirus infection in children below two years presenting with diarrhea
B M John1, Amit Devgan2, Barnali Mitra3
1Classified Specialist (Pediatrics), Command Hospital (Air Force), Bangalore, India.
Insights
Rotavirus infection affects 24% of children under two with diarrhea. Exclusive breastfeeding is associated with reduced rotavirus prevalence, and severe dehydration is linked to rotavirus positivity.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Rotavirus is a leading cause of childhood diarrhea globally.
- Limited data exists on rotavirus diarrhea prevalence in specific regions.
- Understanding local prevalence is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of rotavirus infection in children under two years presenting with diarrhea.
- To identify factors associated with rotavirus infection in this pediatric population.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional observational study was conducted.
- Rotavirus antigen was detected in stool samples.
- Clinical profiles of children were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Rotavirus antigen was detected in 24% of children with diarrhea.
- The highest prevalence (78.3%) was observed in children aged 6-15 months.
- Exclusive breastfeeding showed a significant association with reduced rotavirus prevalence.
- A strong association was found between rotavirus and severe dehydration (61.5% of severe dehydration cases were rotavirus positive).
Conclusions:
- Rotavirus diarrhea contributes significantly to childhood morbidity.
- The study confirms a 24% rotavirus positivity rate in the studied population.
- Rotavirus infection is significantly associated with feeding type and dehydration severity.
Background:
Rotavirus is a common cause of diarrhea in children. There is a need for data on prevalence of rotavirus diarrhea especially in our setting. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of rotavirus infection in children upto two years presenting with diarrhea and to ascertain factors associated with rotavirus infection in them.
Methods:
A cross sectional observational study was carried out to determine the prevalence of rotavirus infection amongst children less than 2 years presenting with diarrhea. The clinical profile of the children was analyzed along with detection of rotavirus antigen in stool.
Results:
A total of 250 children with diarrhea were included in the study. The Male: Female ratio was 0.97:1. We found 24% children presenting with diarrhea to be positive for rotavirus antigen. 78.3% of children with rotaviral diarrhea were in the age group of 6-15 months. There was a significant association between type of feeding and rotavirus diarrhea with reduced prevalence while on exclusive breast-feeding. Though only 10.4% of children with rotavirus diarrhea had severe dehydration, 61.5% of children with severe dehydration were positive for rotavirus.
Conclusion:
Rotavirus diarrhea caused substantial morbidity in our study population. The rotavirus positivity in these children was 24% and there was a significant association of rotavirus infection with type of feeding and severity of dehydration.