Rotavirus Gastroenteritis in Western Uttar Pradesh, India

Objective To establish hospital-based surveillance to identify cases of rotavirus (RV) among children < 5 y of age hospitalized for acute gastroenteritis (AGE) and to determine the burden and profile of circulating RV genotypes in the region. Methods This study was conducted at a tertiary level hospital in Bijnor district of western Uttar Pradesh, India from January 2018 to January 2020. The duly filled case reporting forms and specimens of all the enrolled children were transported in cold chain to the referral laboratory at Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore on a monthly basis for testing and storage of stool samples as well as data entry and analysis. Results A total of 1055 under-5 children admitted with AGE, were enrolled. Proper stool specimens were collected from 932 children. Rotavirus was found positive in 368 (39.5%) stool specimens. Marked seasonality was observed in RV-positive cases with the highest incidence was noticed during winter months. The 0-11 mo age group had the highest incidence of RV-GE followed by 12-23 mo. G1 (42.08%) was the most frequent G-type whereas G1P[8] (26.23%) was the commonest circulating genotype. Conclusion The study confirms a significant burden of RV among AGE cases in young children in western Uttar Pradesh. The findings of the study may serve as useful baseline information to the Government of India for assessing vaccine performance after its introduction in the national immunization programmes.