Prevalance and epidemiology of rotavirus infection in infantile diarrhoea at the Diarrhoeal Training Unit of the University Teaching Hospital of Lusaka, Zambia

In the present study undertaken at the Diarrhoeal Training Unit of the University Teaching Hospital of Lusaka (Zambia), Rotavirus was isolated in 29 out of 152 infants (19.08%) with acute diarrhoea and in 1 out of 78 (1.28*) infants without diarrhoea. Rotavirus detection rate was related to humidity, but not to ambient temperature,and was independent of sex. The highest incidence of rotavirus infection occured in the age group 7-12 months.No clinical features could distinguish infants with rotavirus diarrhoea from those with non-rotavirus diarrhoea. Biochemical and haematological profiles of the two groups of patients were not significantly different.No high-risk factor seemed to predispose infants to human rotavirus infection, but it occured predominantly in well nourished infants.