Frequency of Rotavirus Diarrhea in Hospitalized Children

Background: Rotavirus is one of the major causes of acute diarrhea requiring hospitalization worldwide among infants and young children. In Pakistan, the incidence of rotavirus diarrhea has been identified to differ in the range 20 to 40 percent. The infectivity is related to high morbidity rate all over the world and an elevated mortality rate among developing countries. Aim: To assess the frequency of rotavirus diarrhea in hospitalized children. Method: It was a observational cross-section study conducted at Shahida Islam Teaching, Hospital, Lodhran during 08.02.2017 to 14.11.2017 in which 150 hospitalized children were included. Identification of rotavirus in patients stool was carried out through enzyme linked immunoassay. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Results: Among 150 children, 60% were found positive for rotavirus. Among 37-48 months old 14 children, 85.7% were positive for rotavirus. 64.7% children had duration of diarrhea 1-3 days and 60.0% had 8-10 stools per day. Among 57 children who had vomiting, 42.1% had rotavirus and among 91 children who had fever, 57.1% had rotavirus. Conclusion: Study concluded that rotavirus prevalence among children was 60.0% while children aged 24 months and above had more frequency of rotavirus.