Hospital‐Based Surveillance for Rotavirus Diarrhea in Children in Yangon, Myanmar

Abstract

Diarrhea is a common childhood illness in Myanmar, and rotavirus is the single most important etiological agent of diarrhea. Surveillance for rotavirus diarrhea in children n = 30,869). Rotavirus was identified in 923 (53%) of the 1736 stool specimens tested, and rotavirus infection was associated with ∼10% of all hospitalizations of children. Rotavirus diarrhea most frequently occurred in children 6–17 months of age, and it was more commonly identified in boys (62% of children with rotavirus diarrhea were boys). The seasonal pattern of rotavirus disease mimicked that of diarrheal illness due to all causes, with the peak season for rotavirus disease occurring from November through February (i.e., during the cool, dry season). During the study period, 53 of the children who were hospitalized for diarrhea died. The present study confirms the importance of the etiological role that rotavirus plays in childhood diarrhea.