title: [Epidemiological study of rotavirus diarrhea in Beijing, China - a hospital-based surveillance from 1998 - 2001].
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100052, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-li
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: An-cun
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Li-shu
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Zong-ping
authors.initials: ZP
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Hua-ping
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Lan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Li-jie
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ivanoff
authors.forename: R I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Glass
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Bresee
authors.forename: X I
authors.initials: XI
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Kilgore
authors.forename: Zhao-yin
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Fang
mesh_terms: 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