Korean J Lab Med.
2003 Dec;23(6):382-387.
Epidemiologic Trends of Rotavirus Infection in the Republic of Korea, July 1999 through June 2002
- Affiliations
-
- 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Hanyang University Guri Hospital, Korea. jokang@hanyang.ac.kr
- 2University of Ulsan and Asan Medical Center, Korea.
- 3University of Ulsan and Gangnung Asan Hospital, Korea.
- 4Daegu Catholic University Hospital, Korea.
- 5Cheju National University Hospital, Korea.
- 6Chosun University Hospital, Korea.
- 7Pusan National University Hospital, Korea.
- 8Eulji University Hospital, Korea.
- 9International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Korea.
Abstract
- BACKGROUND
Rotavirus is the most common cause of childhood diarrhea worldwide. Although rotavirus is also the leading cause of infant and childhood diarrhea in Korea, much remains unknown about the trends of rotavirus infection by month and geographic region in Korea. To monitor epidemiologic trends of rotavirus infection, a laboratory-based rotavirus surveillance network was established in 2002. This is the first nationwide, multicenter evaluation of rotavirus epidemiology in Korea. METHODS: The rotavirus test results were collected retrospectively from eight network laboratories, from July 1999 to June 2002. Four laboratories used latex agglutination, three used immunochromatography, and one used enzyme-linked fluorescent assay for the detection of rotavirus antigen. RESULTS: Of 10, 441 stool specimens, 2, 496 (23.9%) were positive for rotavirus. During the 3-year period, the rotavirus season began in December-January, and ended in April-May. The rotaviruspositive percentage of summer, autumn, winter, and spring was 11.5%, 10.0%, 32.8%, and 30.0%, respectively. A few hospitals revealed summer epidemics. The rotavirus positive rate in each hospital varied from 15.3% to 44.2%. A common feature of the three hospitals showing the lowest rotavirus-positive percentage (i.e. <20%) was their large size (>800 beds). The secondary care hospitals showed a higher positive proportion (27.5%) compared with tertiary care hospitals (21.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the rotavirus-positive percentage among all diarrheal specimens was similar to that of other developed countries. The results of this study showed that the autumn epidemic of the rotavirus has declined or disappeared and the peak season for rotavirus has shifted to late winter/early spring in Korea.
Keyword
- Full Text Links
-
- Actions
-
Cited
- CITED
-
- Close
- Share
-
- Similar articles
-
- The Pattern of Occurence of Rotavirus Gastroenteritis in Jeju Area between 2001 and 2005
- The Annual and Seasonal Changes in the Prevalence of Rotaviral Infection from: 1993 to 1998
- Rotavirus Vaccine
- G and P Genotyping of Human Rotavirus Isolated in a University Hospital in Korea: Implications for Nosocomial Infections
- Rotavirus Vaccines
