Burden of rotavirus gastroenteritis in children <5 years of age in Greece: hospital-based prospective surveillance (2008–2010)

Abstract

Participants: Children aged <5 years who visited the emergency rooms (ERs) or hospitalised with acute GE or acquired acute GE 48 h after hospitalisation and with a confirmed RV-positive stool test were enrolled.Primary and secondary outcome measures: The occurrence of RVGE among all acute GE ER visits and hospitalisations and the occurrence of nosocomial RVGE are reported with 95% exact CI. Age-specific proportions of RVGE, seasonality and prevalence of RV genotypes were estimated. Incidence rates of nosocomial acute GE and RVGE are expressed in terms of 1000 children-years with 95% exact Poisson CI. Median duration of hospitalisation and prolongation of hospitalisation due to nosocomial RVGE were reported.Results: RVGE proportions were 10.7% (95% CI 5.5% to 18.3%) and 23.8% (95% CI 20.0% to 28.0%) of acute GE ER visits and hospitalisations, respectively; and 21.6% (95% CI 9.8% to 38.2%) of nosocomial acute GE cases. The majority of RVGE cases occurred in children aged <24 months (53%). RV infection peaked between December and May (31.4%). The most common RV genotypes were G4 (59.6%) and P [8] (75.2%). The median duration of RVGE hospitalisation was 4 days (range 1-10 days). Incidence of nosocomial RVGE was 0.3 (95% CI 0.2 to 0.7)/1000 children-years. The median prolongation of hospitalisation due to nosocomial RVGE was 5 days (range 4-7 days).

Prevalence of Rotavirus Genotypes in Children Younger than 5 Years of Age before the Introduction of a Universal Rotavirus Vaccination Program: Report of Rotavirus Surveillance in Turkey

“…According to previous studies in Turkey, most rotavirus infections were recorded in children aged 12 to 23 months, and a second peak was observed in the 6 to 11 month age group; more than 70% of rotavirus infections occurred in children less than 2 years of age [19] , [21] , [23] . These data agree with results reported from many European countries [12] , [28] – [31] . Our study, conducted on high numbers of children from seven geographic regions, showed that rotavirus mainly infected children from 13 to 24 months of age followed by the 25 to 36 month age group.…”

“…After introduction of the rotavirus vaccines, G2 emerged as being responsible for approximately 30% of RV infections [39] . A multicenter study conducted in our neighbor country, Greece, between July 2008 and March 2010 showed that G4 (59.6%) was the most predominant genotype, followed by G1 (17.4%) during the study period [31] . Previous studies from different provinces in Turkey revealed the dominating prevalence of G1–G4 genotypes in combination with P[8] and P[4] between 2000 and 2010 [18] – [21] .…”

Early impact of rotavirus vaccination in a large paediatric hospital in the UK

“…Similar age profiles were also observed at a paediatric hospital in Greece following vaccine introduction. 10 These data suggest that hospitalised infants aged <1 year remain at risk of developing HA-RVGE even among highly vaccinated populations, possibly through direct or indirect exposure to rotavirus from older children and adults.…”

Prevalence and diversity of rotavirus A genotypes cirulating in Turkey during a 2‐year sentinel surveillance period, 2014‐2016

“…A recent study from the same country confirmed that majority of rotavirus infections (82.2%) were seen in children aged less than 2 years, followed by children aged 3 (8.2%), 5 (6.9%), and 4 years (2.7%) . The results of a multicenter study conducted at six different hospitals in Greece showed that more than half of rotavirus cases were in children under 24 months of age, followed by cases in children aged 4, 3, and 5 years . EuroRotaNet's 2015 report showed that rotavirus infections in many European countries predominated among children with 2 years of age, with the incidences in the ≤12months age group and the 13‐24 months age group being similar and accounting for approximately 75% of total cases .…”