Global Illness and Deaths Caused by Rotavirus Disease in Children

Abstract

To estimate the global illness and deaths caused by rotavirus disease, we reviewed studies published from 1986 to 2000 on deaths caused by diarrhea and on rotavirus infections in children. We assessed rotavirus-associated illness in three clinical settings (mild cases requiring home care alone, moderate cases requiring a clinic visit, and severe cases requiring hospitalization) and death rates in countries in different World Bank income groups. Each year, rotavirus causes approximately 111 million episodes of gastroenteritis requiring only home care, 25 million clinic visits, 2 million hospitalizations, and 352,000–592,000 deaths (median, 440,000 deaths) in children <5 years of age. By age 5, nearly every child will have an episode of rotavirus gastroenteritis, 1 in 5 will visit a clinic, 1 in 60 will be hospitalized, and approximately 1 in 293 will die. Children in the poorest countries account for 82% of rotavirus deaths. The tremendous incidence of rotavirus disease underscores the urgent need for interventions, such as vaccines, to prevent childhood deaths in developing nations.

Frequency, clinical characteristics, and genotype distribution of rotavirus gastroenteritis in Greece (2007–2008)

“…Surveillance studies are necessary to monitor the changes in strain distribution during the pre-and post-vaccine era and to detect the emergence of antibody escape mutants that may occur after implementation of rotavirus vaccines [Iturriza-Gómara et al, 2009;Iturriza-Gómara et al, 2000b]. Although there is a limitation from the small sample size, results confirm that there is not a constant different distribution of rotavirus genotypes in non hospitalized compared to hospitalized patients with rotavirus gastroenteritis, either a different distribution in age groups, except neonates (not any case from this group in this study) [Parashar et al, 2003]. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 …”

“…Although the prevalence of the disease is similar in most geographic regions, the mortality is greater in developing countries due to malnutrition and poorer access to medical treatment [Butz et al, 1993;Cook et al, 1990;Giaquinto et al, 2007;Kavaliotis et al, 2007;Leung et al, 2005;Parashar et al, 2003;Raebel, Ou, 1999;Soriano-Gabarró et al, 2006;Van Damme et al, 2007a].…”

“…Rotaviruses are classified into G and P genotypes on the basis of the sequence diversities of the two outer layer proteins VP7 and VP4 respectively which are the two viral proteins that elicit neutralizing antibody responses [Parashar et al, 2003;Raebel, Ou, 1999] are the predominant genotypes of the human strains circulating in most European countries, genotype variations have been observed among different geographic areas [Iturriza-Gómara et al, 2009]. The aim of the present study was to examine the epidemiology of rotavirus infection, the clinical characteristics and the genotype distribution in Greek children younger than 5 years of age.…”

Epidemiology and clinical features of gastroenteritis in hospitalised children: prospective survey during a 2-year period in a Parisian hospital, France

“…Worldwide estimates indicate a mean of between 3.5 and 7 episodes of diarrhoea during the first 2 years of life, and over 11 000 deaths per day throughout the world, particularly in developing countries [2]. In developed countries, deaths from diarrhoea are less common, but AGE is a major cause of morbidity in childhood, leading to many hospitalizations and doctor's visits [3][4][5].…”

Determination of Rotavirus, Sapovirus and Norovirus Co-Infection among Children Suffering from Gastroenteritis Referred to Ahvaz Abuzar Hospital, Southern Iran

“…Almost 80% of acute gastroenteritis is due to viruses (1). Between various kinds of diarrheal viruses, rotavirus is the most important cause of severe gastroenteritis in infants and children in the world (2). Norovirus and Sapovirus however are also considered to be significant global cause of gastroenteritis (3,4).…”