Prevalence of Rotavirus Diarrhea among Children Up To 2 Years in a Hospital-Based Study

Abstract

Aim: To determine the prevalence of Rotavirus diarrhea among children up to 2 years of age Study design: A cross-sectional study Place and Duration: This study was conducted at Khairpur Medical College Hospital Khairpur Mir’s, Pakistan from June 2019 and December 2020. Methodology: The children's clinical profiles were examined, and the presence of rotavirus antigen in their stool with the ELISA method was detected. Results: The study included a total of 135 children who were suffering from diarrhea, among them 65 (48.14%) were boys, and 70 (51.85%) were girls. It was observed that minimum participation was from zero to 5 months (n=27, 20%), and a maximum number of the patients were in the age group 6 to 12 months (n=41, 30.37%). Rotavirus diarrhea was reported in 48.88% (n=66) of the children. In the age group of 19 to 24 months, 55.88% were Rotavirus positive. No significant association between the age and presence and absence of Rotavirus has been observed. (X2= 1.3241, P=0.723). A significant association has been observed between the feeding habits and the occurrence of Rotavirus diarrhea. (X2= 26.5539, P< 0.00001) Conclusion: Rotavirus infection was found in 48.88 % of these children, and there is a link between rotavirus infection and the method of feeding. Keywords: Infant, Diarrhea, Rotavirus, Breastfeeding