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