Abstract
Background: Rotavirus diarrhea is often referred as “winter diarrheal disease” as it causes nearly 50% of the pediatric hospitalizations during winter season. This study was done with the objective of bringing out the epidemiological nexus of rotavirus cases with different seasonal parameters like maximum, minimum temperature, humidity, and average rainfall.Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital of Eastern India from February 2016 to December 2018. Data on daily maximum and minimum temperature, relative humidity, and rainfall were collected.Result: Of 964 children admitted, 768 stool samples were collected for rotavirus assay. A total of 222 children (29%) were positive. The maximum, minimum temperature, average rainfall, and average humidity of 83.4 mm, 79.2%, 28.1, and 21.9, respectively, were significantly associated with positive rotaviral cases.Conclusions: The incidence of rotavirus positivity cases was found to be inversely associated with average temperature, humidity, and rainfall. The knowledge about the seasonal pattern in a particular geographical area would help in the reallocation of hospital services (staff and bed) to tackle the epidemic or emergency situations resulting from clustering of cases.
Highlights
Diarrhea is a prime public health problem among the under-five age group in low- and middle-income countries
Of 964 children under-five hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis (AGE) during the study period, 768 (80%) provided stool samples for rotavirus assay
One study found that with every 1◦C rise in temperature, an increase in the average rainfall of 1 cm, and a 1% increase in the relative humidity, there was a reduction in the rotavirus case incidence by 10, 1, and 3%, respectively [7]
Summary
Diarrhea is a prime public health problem among the under-five age group in low- and middle-income countries. It is obvious that diarrheal diseases are prevailing in low-income countries that have poor access to uncontaminated water, sanitation, and streamlined medical care [1, 2]. This disease is a recurrent cause of hospitalization in the high-income countries—making diarrhea an important health concern globally. Rotavirus is the most common viral cause of diarrhea among children under-five in developing countries often referred as “winter diarrheal disease,” because it is responsible for 50% of the pediatric hospitalizations during winter season [3, 4]. This study was done with the objective of bringing out the epidemiological nexus of rotavirus cases with different seasonal parameters like maximum, minimum temperature, humidity, and average rainfall
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