Prevelance of rotavirus at Kenyatta National Hospital among children under 5years of age presenting with gastroenteritis.

Abstract

Introduction: Diarrhea has been one of the principal causes of death and the major cause of diarrhea is rotavirus. The global mortality caused by rotavirus is 453,000 annually and 80% of these deaths occur in developing countries. The effective way to control rotavirus is through vaccination. Two vaccines have been licensed for use which is; Rotateq and Rotarix. The Rota Teq vaccine was introduced in Kenya July 2014. Objective: Determine the prevalence of RVA after the introduction of the vaccine. Samples were collected from children below 5 years of age presenting gastroenteritis whose parents consented to be in the study. Method: The samples were collected from children below 5 years with gastroenteritis and analyzes by ELISA using prospect kit. Data were analyzed by chi-square and prevalence calculated in proportions. Results: The prevalence of RVA was 14% as compared in previous studies which were 27%. The chi-square calculation showed no difference of RVA infection in regard to gender, inpatient, and outpatient. The most affected age group was between 7 to 12 months, followed by 13 to 24 months. Conclusion: There is a decrease in rotavirus prevalence and vaccination campaigns need to be emphasized to decrease the prevalence further.