Incidence of hospitalizations due to rotavirus gastroenteritis in Denmark

To assess the incidence of rotavirus-related diarrhoea among Danish children <5 y of age, laboratory-based data obtained from inpatients in two major Danish counties were reviewed. In the period January 1995 to December 1999, samples from 1333 children <5 y of age hospitalized with diarrhoea in Copenhagen County and 813 samples from inpatients <5 y of age in Roskilde County were tested for rotavirus. Rotavirus infection was identified in 237 (18%) and 179 (22%) of the cases, respectively. As in other temperate countries a marked seasonality of rotavirus infections was observed, with a peak in winter and the early spring months of March and April. The hospitalization rate was 2.8 per 1000 in children <5 y and 5.4 in children <2 y of age. Conclusion: These findings suggest that rotavirus gastroenteritis remains a common disease in Danish hospitalized children and causes a substantial burden of disease.