Rotavirus and norovirus infections in children in Sana’a, Yemen

Summary Objectives  To describe the epidemiology of rotavirus and norovirus infection among children with acute gastroenteritis in Sana’a, Yemen. Methods  A cross‐sectional study from November 2007 to March 2009 of children aged 1 month to 5 years attending the emergency and outpatient departments of two hospitals in Sana’a with acute gastroenteritis. Rotavirus was detected by ELISA and genotyped by RT‐PCR. Norovirus was detected by End Point RT‐PCR and nucleotide sequencing. Results  A total of 290 children (48% in the emergency department and 52% in the outpatient department of the children respectively) were enrolled. Rotavirus infections were detected in 78 (27%) and norovirus infections in 30 (10%). Rotavirus genotypes included G1P[8] (55%), G9P[8] (21%) and G2P[4] (12%) with G12 comprising 3% of strain types. The main norovirus genotype was GII.4 (27%) with >10 other genotypes detected. Conclusions  Rotavirus and norovirus infections are common causes of gastroenteritis in Yemen. Rotavirus vaccines could play a significant role in the control of acute childhood diarrhoea in this setting.