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Epidemiology of rotavirus infections in The Netherlands
Author(s) -
Koopmans M,
Van Asperen I
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1999.tb14323.x
Subject(s) - rotavirus , epidemiology , medicine , rotavirus infections , rotavirus gastroenteritis , pediatrics , reoviridae , acute gastroenteritis , age groups , seasonality , virology , environmental health , demography , virus , biology , ecology , sociology
This paper reviews published and unpublished data from epidemiological and virological studies or rotavirus in the Netherlands to identify gaps in our knowledg; it includes analysis of surveillance data for seasonality and age groups at risk. Rotavirus was found in approximately 5% of stool specimens from people consulting a physician for gastroenteritis, Of these cases, 38% were under 5y of age. A clear seasonality was observed, with a peak in rotavirus activity in winter and early spring, In one hospital‐based study between 1976 and 1983 rotavirus was found in 30% of children under 3y of age hospitalized for gastroenteritis. In addition, nosocomial infections have been documented. Analysis of monthly data from laboratory surveillance from 1981 to 1996 showed that between 6 and 16% of stool samples tested positive for rotavirus, again with a clear seasonal distribution. A total of 98% of rotavirus strains that were typed were G‐type 1‐4, We conclude that more recent data about hospitalization rates are needed for a well‐founded costbenefit analysis.