Importance and challenges of accurately counting rotavirus deaths in China, 2002.
Rotavirus mortality is an important component of the total burden of rotavirus disease for children under 5 years old, but accurate estimation is difficult for many developing countries. Here we applied a more direct method to improve estimates of rotavirus mortality in China using 2002 Chinese-specific data. Results indicate that in 2002, approximately 13,400 children under 5 years old in China died from rotavirus and 70% of these deaths occur in rural areas. Thus, a national rotavirus immunization program targeting rural areas with high mortality from diarrhoea could dramatically reduce these deaths and urban areas could reduce childhood hospitalizations attributed to rotavirus by 43%.
Yee
Eileen L
EL
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Division of Viral Diseases, Epidemiology Branch, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. bwd3@cdc.gov
Fang
Zhao-Yin
ZY
Liu
Na
N
Hadler
Stephen C
SC
Liang
Xiaofeng
X
Wang
Huaqing
H
Zhu
Xu
X
Jiang
Baoming
B
Parashar
Umesh
U
Widdowson
Marc-Alain
MA
Glass
Roger I
RI
D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control; D022243:Rotavirus Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012424:Rural Population; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance
D022243:Rotavirus Vaccines