Rotavirus gastroenteritis should soon be a vaccine-preventable
disease.
In a 10-year survey of
rotavirus gastroenteritis conducted at the Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH),
2281 cases were
detected of which 2213 (97%) occurred in children <5 years old. A consistent
epidemic
occurred each winter during the months of December and January. Of all
laboratory-confirmed
cases, 78% were community-acquired with a mean hospital stay of 4·7
days. The estimated
incidence of rotavirus-attributed hospitalization was 2/1000 children
<5 years old. Over the 10
years, rotavirus was responsible for one death, and contributory to three
other deaths. On
average each year, 195 children <5 years old were hospitalized for a
total of 917 days in
PWH, accounting for an estimated expenditure of HK$2·8 (∼US$0·4)
million on
hospitalization costs. The annual financial burden for rotavirus
gastroenteritis for the whole of
Hong Kong could be in excess of HK$9·6 (∼US$1·2) million.