title: Importance and challenges of accurately counting rotavirus deaths in China, 2002.
abstract: 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%.
authors.affiliation: 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
authors.forename: Eileen L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Yee
authors.forename: Zhao-Yin
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Stephen C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Hadler
authors.forename: Xiaofeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Huaqing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Baoming
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Umesh
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Parashar
authors.forename: Marc-Alain
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Widdowson
authors.forename: Roger I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Glass
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D022243:Rotavirus Vaccines