The burden of rotavirus diarrhea : Estimating the cumulative incidence among children less than 3 years of age

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Rotavirus is a single most important etiological agent of acute diarrhea in infants and young children worldwide. Effective rotavirus vaccines are now available, and are licensed and used in more than 100 countries. However, to determine the necessity of rotavirus vaccines in each country, it is essential to estimate the burden of rotavirus diarrhea and to understand the perception of pediatricians and caregivers for such rotavirus vaccines. Thus, this study was undertaken, firstly, to determine the incidence of hospitalization cases due to rotavirus by obtaining information from the caregivers of children in nurseries. Rotavirus hospitalization occurred most frequently in children aged between 6 and 11 months, and it was estimated that one in 30 children got hospitalized due to rotavirus diarrhea by the age of 3 years. Secondly, pediatricians and caregivers of 3-year-old children were asked about the necessity and their willingness to pay for the vaccine. More than 90% of pediatricians welcomed the introduction of rotavirus vaccines into the country and 57% of them said that rotavirus vaccine should be incorporated into the childhood immunization schedule. Interestingly, those parents whose children sought medical intervention against rotavirus diarrhea showed significantly clearer attitudes regarding the necessity of the vaccine than those parents whose children did not have such experience. However, the willingness of the parents to pay for rotavirus vaccine is minimal and it was suggested that, unless the vaccine is incorporated into the routine immunization schedule of the country, there will be little impact of the vaccine on the reduction of the number of hospitalization due to rotavirus diarrhea.