[Epidemiological study of rotavirus diarrhea in Beijing, China - a hospital-based surveillance from 1998 - 2001].
OBJECTIVE
To provide information on epidemiology of rotavirus infection in Beijing, China.


METHODS
An ongoing hospital-based surveillance was conducted among children < 5yr old with acute diarrhea according to WHO generic protocol (CID-98). During a 3-year study (Apr. 1998 to Mar. 2001), a total of 484 stool samples were collected from 1 457 patients, including 275 samples from 1 048 outpatients and 209 samples from 409 inpatients.


RESULTS
The overall detection rate of rotavirus infection was 25.4%. Rotavirus was responsible for 27.3% of diarrhea inpatients on a yearly base, and 46.2% during rotavirus season. Two peaks of diarrhea were observed each year, one in the summer (June-Sep.) due to bacterial dysentery (16.7%) and another in fall winter (Oct.-Dec.) due to rotavirus infection (23.0%). The detection rate on rotavirus was the highest in age group of 6 - 11 months (38.2%), followed by 1 - 2 years old (28.5%). Ninety six point eight percentage of children were infected under 3 years of age. The number of deaths, possibly caused by rotavirus diarrhea were accounted for 40% of all diarrhea deaths and 11.1% of the total deaths. Serotyping of 123 rotavirus isolates showed that serotype G1 (55.3%) was predominant, followed by G2 (26.8%), G3 (9.8%), G4 (0.8%), and 10 isolates (8.1%) remained non-typeable. Mixed infections (0.8%) seemed to be rare.


CONCLUSIONS
Rotavirus diarrhea was an important infectious disease among children in Beijing. Safe and effective rotavirus vaccines for the prevention of severe diarrheas and the reduction of treatment costs are of significant importance to China.
Tong
Zhi-li
ZL
National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100052, China.
Ma
Li
L
Zhang
Jing
J
Hou
An-cun
AC
Zheng
Li-shu
LS
Jin
Zong-ping
ZP
Xie
Hua-ping
HP
Ma
Lan
L
Zhang
Li-jie
LJ
Ivanoff
B
B
Glass
R I
RI
Bresee
J S
JS
Jiang
X I
XI
Kilgore
P E
PE
Fang
Zhao-yin
ZY
D000367:Age Factors; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004403:Dysentery / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012703:Serotyping