Rota virus Diarrhea in Hospitalized Children.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the frequency and clinical features of Rota virus diarrhea in children presenting in a tertiary care hospital.


METHODS
A cross-sectional, observational study.


METHODS
National Institute of Child Health, Karachi, from January to June 2007.


METHODS
A total of three hundred children of either gender aged 1 month to 5 years, who presented with diarrhea of < 7 days as a primary illness were enrolled. Children with bloody diarrhea or nosocomial gastroenteritis acquired during hospitalization for other disease were not included. Detection of Rota virus in stool was done by enzyme linked immunoassay.


RESULTS
Out of 300 children, 188 (63%) tested positive and 112 (37%) tested negative for Rota virus. Positive Rota virus cases in 7 - 12 months of age was (n = 34, 18.08%). Overall, 151 (80.3%) children with Rota virus were less than 3 years old. 182 (60.7%) had fever, 118 (39.3%) had vomiting and 156 (82.9%) children had both fever and vomiting.


CONCLUSIONS
This study shows that Rota virus is a common organism causing diarrhea in children less than 3 years of age. There is a need to incorporate Rota virus vaccine in the national EPI program to decrease the disease burden as highlighted in this study.
Department of Paediatrics, National Institute of Child Health, Karachi.
Muhammad Irfan
MI
Habib
Department of Emergency Medicine, The Aga Khan University, Karachi.
Sayyeda Ghazala
SG
Kazi
Department of Paediatrics, National Institute of Child Health, Karachi.
Khalid Mehmood
KM
Ahmed Khan
Department of Paediatrics, National Institute of Child Health, Karachi.
Nukhba
N
Zia
D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000821:virology; D017248:Enzyme Multiplied Immunoassay Technique; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000150:complications; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D013997:Time Factors