Hospital Based Rotavirus & Intussusception Surveillance in Bangladesh
Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) organized a dissemination seminar on Hospital Based Rotavirus and Intussusception in Bangladesh on 6th March, 2014. Director IEDCR Professor Mahmudur Rahman presided over the seminar. Honorable Secretary of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Mr. M. Neazuddin was present as chief guest. Among the special guest, Professor Abul Kalam Azad (Additional Director General, DGHS), Dr. James D. Heffelfinger (Senior Technical Advisor, icddrb & Country Director, US CDC), Mr. Stephen F. Herbaly (Deputy Director, USAID, Bangladesh) were present. Among others, Mrs. Niru Shamsun Naher (Joint Chief Planning, MoH&FW), Dr. Md. Shah Newaz (Director, Administration, DGHS), officials from EPI, IEDCR, icddrb, WHO, UNICEF, USAID were present. Objectives of the workshop were to disseminate the surveillance findings of rotavirus trend & strains in Bangladesh, vaccine efficacy and intussusception by rotavirus vaccine. The workshop was conducted by Dr. M. Mushtuq Husain (PSO, IEDCR) and Dr. Khaleda Islam (SSO, IEDCR).
IEDCR and icddrb jointly conducting rotavirus and intussusception surveillance since July 2012. At first it was in three sites but now is conducted in seven hospitals all over the country. The objectives of this surveillance are to estimate the proportion of diarrhea hospitalization among children less than 5 years of age, which are attributable to rotavirus, to describe the predominant strain of rotavirus throughout Bangladesh, to determine the age, region and seasonal distribution of hospitalizations associated with rotavirus in the population under surveillance and to estimate the frequency of hospitalization associated with intussusception among children less than 2 years of age in surveillance hospitals. From July 2012 to January 2014, a total of 5766 acute gastroenteritis cases were hospitalized and 1452 samples collected. Among them 966 (67%) found rotavirus positive, 2 deaths and intussusception was confirmed in 39 cases. As there is no specific treatment of rotavirus except rehydration by ORS or IV saline, vaccination can play an important role to prevent the disease. So, it is suggested to expand surveillance, epidemiological studies & introduce rotavirus vaccination.
