title: Incidence of diarrhea caused by rotavirus infections in rural Zhengding, China: prospective, population-based surveillance.
abstract: Rotavirus is the pathogen most commonly associated with severe gastroenteritis in young children in the People's Republic of China, yet there are few population-based data on the incidence of rotavirus infection. The present study investigated the burden of rotavirus diarrhea and rotavirus infections in rural China, according to age. Population-based surveillance was used to study the incidence of rotavirus infection among children <5 years of age in 4 townships of Zhengding County, Hebei Province, China. The total population in the catchment area in 2002 was 75,630 individuals, including 2997 children aged <5 years. Stool samples were obtained and were tested for rotavirus antigen by use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. During 2002, a total of 2010 cases of diarrhea were detected among children <5 years of age. The incidence of treated cases of diarrhea was 671 cases/1000 children/year for children <5 years of age, and it was highest for children <12 months of age (1467 cases/1000 children/year). The estimated incidence of rotavirus infection was 151 cases/1000 children/year for children <5 years of age. The highest incidence of rotavirus infection was among children aged 1-2 years (340 cases/1000 children/year). Widespread immunization of children against rotavirus before 6 months of age should be considered for the control of rotavirus diarrhea.
authors.affiliation: International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, South Korea. xywang@ivi.int
authors.forename: Xuan-Yi
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhi-Yi
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Lorenz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: von Seidlein
authors.forename: Ying-Lin
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Shou-Jun
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Zhi-Yong
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.forename: Oak Pil
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kilgore
authors.forename: Zhan-Chun
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.forename: Chang-Quan
authors.initials: CQ
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Jing-Chen
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Ji-Chao
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Clemens
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012424:Rural Population; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance