Incidence of hospitalizations due to rotavirus gastroenteritis in Denmark.
To assess the incidence of rotavirus-related diarrhoea among Danish children <5 y of age, laboratory-based data obtained from inpatients in two major Danish counties were reviewed. In the period January 1995 to December 1999, samples from 1333 children <5 y of age hospitalized with diarrhoea in Copenhagen County and 813 samples from inpatients <5 y of age in Roskilde County were tested for rotavirus. Rotavirus infection was identified in 237 (18%) and 179 (22%) of the cases, respectively. As in other temperate countries a marked seasonality of rotavirus infections was observed, with a peak in winter and the early spring months of March and April. The hospitalization rate was 2.8 per 1000 in children <5 y and 5.4 in children <2 y of age.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that rotavirus gastroenteritis remains a common disease in Danish hospitalized children and causes a substantial burden of disease.
Fischer
T K
TK
Centre for International Health, University of Bergen, Norway. thf@ssi.dk
D002675:Child, Preschool; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*