title: Rotavirus gastroenteritis: epidemiological data from a regional hospital in Belgium.
abstract: The Belgian Institute of Public Health registered from 2000 to 2005 a yearly average of 6,790 hospital admissions for rotavirus gastroenteritis in children less than 5 years of age. Very efficacious rotavirus vaccines are available nowadays. The surveillance of hospitalisation due to rotavirus gastroenteritis is a good target for the follow-up of vaccine-related prevention. In a large regional Belgian hospital, rotavirus is associated with 12% to 21% of all hospitalisation days among children less than 2 years of age. The general implementation of rotavirus vaccination could dramatically reduce the hospitalisation of young children due to rotavirus gastroenteritis in developed countries.
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Department, Virga Jesse Hospital, Stadsomvaart 11, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium. marc.raes@virgajesse.be
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raes
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aerssens
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Alliet
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gillis
authors.forename: Marie-Paule
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Verjans
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mewis
mesh_terms: D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology; D006753:Hospital Records; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D022243:Rotavirus Vaccines; D012621:Seasons
chemical_list: D022243:Rotavirus Vaccines