Epidemiology of viral gastroenteritis in Children under 5 years at the University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia

The clinical and epidemiological aspects of rotavirus diarrhoea
was studied in hospitalized children under five years with acute
gastroenteritis in Lusaka, Zambia for a period of one year. Two
hundred and fifty six (24.1 %) of 1,064 children admitted to the
study were shedding rotavirus. Rotavirus positive rate was higher
in children less than one year (37.6 X) and also those less than
six months. Rotavirus diarrhoea was seen throughout the year with
higher rotavirus positive rate in the cool dry season. In
rotavirus positive diarrhoea patients, more children nad
dehydration (82.4 X) -than in rotavirus negative group (56.2 %) .
In malnourished children rotavirus positive rate was 12.1 % (9
/ 71) which was lower than in those with normal nutritional
status (29.0 X, 162 / 558). Case fatality rate in the rotavirus
positive group was 6.4 X and mortality cases were only seen in
children less than 2 years. Enteric adenovirus contributed much
less (3.63 X, 6 / 164) to the viral aetiology of acute
gastroenteritis and no fatality was noted in this group. This
study failed to yield any Small Round Viruses in hospitalised
children with acute gastroenteritis.