Orhan Zerife, Mohamud Said Mohamed, Mohamud Rahma Yusuf Haji, Doğan Serpil
Department of Medical Microbiology, Vocational School of Health Services, Kahramanmaraş Sütçü Imam University, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey.
Department of Medical Microbiology, Mogadishu Somalia Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan Training and Research Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia.
Pediatric Health Med Ther. 2024 Nov 27;15:365-373. doi: 10.2147/PHMT.S475345. eCollection 2024.
Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe and fatal diarrhea in African children. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of rotavirus in children with acute gastroenteritis admitted to a tertiary hospital in Somalia.
5804 children who applied with complaints of acute gastroenteritis between January 2020 and December 2023 were examined retrospectively. Rotavirus antigens were detected in the feces of 1324 patients by qualitative immunochromatographic analysis. The frequency of rotavirus gastroenteritis was evaluated according to age, gender and seasonal distribution. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 22.0.
In the years, an increase in the number of patients tested with suspicion of rotavirus and an increase in rotavirus positivity was observed. While the positivity rate was 8.1% (n = 107) in 2020, it increased to 41.4% (n = 548) in 2023. Viral antigens were identified in 1324 of 5804 patients (22.8%). 743 (56.1%) of the children were boys and 581 (43.9%) were girls. The incidence of rotavirus positive cases was higher in the summer and spring months and in children aged 0-2 years (78.6%) (p<0.001). Diarrhea due to rotavirus was seen throughout the year. The monthly rotavirus antigen positivity rate in patients admitted to the hospital due to acute gastroenteritis reached its peak in May with 17.2%.
The results of this study showed us that rotavirus is a common cause of acute gastroenteritis in infants. Rotavirus gastroenteritis, which causes significant mortality and morbidity all over the world, is still seen at a high rate of 22.8% in Somalia. We are of the opinion that public health education, good hygiene practices and an effective vaccination program can reduce rotavirus infection.
轮状病毒是非洲儿童严重和致命腹泻的主要原因。本研究旨在调查索马里一家三级医院收治的急性胃肠炎患儿中轮状病毒的流行情况。
回顾性检查了2020年1月至2023年12月期间因急性胃肠炎症状前来就诊的5804名儿童。通过定性免疫层析分析在1324例患者的粪便中检测到轮状病毒抗原。根据年龄、性别和季节分布评估轮状病毒胃肠炎的发生率。使用SPSS 22.0版进行统计分析。
在这些年里，怀疑感染轮状病毒而接受检测的患者数量有所增加，轮状病毒阳性率也有所上升。2020年阳性率为8.1%（n = 107），到2023年增至41.4%（n = 548）。5804例患者中有1324例（22.8%）检测到病毒抗原。儿童中743例（56.1%）为男孩，581例（43.9%）为女孩。轮状病毒阳性病例的发生率在夏季和春季月份以及0至2岁儿童中较高（78.6%）（p<0.001）。全年均可见轮状病毒引起的腹泻。因急性胃肠炎入院患者的每月轮状病毒抗原阳性率在5月达到峰值，为17.2%。
本研究结果表明，轮状病毒是婴儿急性胃肠炎的常见病因。轮状病毒胃肠炎在全球导致了显著的死亡率和发病率，在索马里仍以22.8%的高比例出现。我们认为，公共卫生教育、良好的卫生习惯和有效的疫苗接种计划可以减少轮状病毒感染。
