[Analysis of vaccination situation of orial live attenuated rotavirus vaccine (LLR strain) among children in 6 provinces of China]

Parental preferences for rotavirus vaccination for their children under 5 years old in China: A discrete choice experiment

Rotavirus vaccination is the most effective means to prevent rotavirus gastroenteritis, but its coverage in China is not ideal. We aimed to explore parental preferences for rotavirus vaccination for their children under 5years old to improve vaccination coverage. A Discrete Choice Experiment was conducted online on 415 parents with at least one child under 5years old in 3 cities. Five attributes including vaccine effectiveness, protection duration, risk of mild side-effects, out-of-pocket costs, and time required for vaccination were identified. Each attribute was set at three levels. Mixed-logit models were used to measure parental preferences and the relative importance of vaccine attributes. The optimal vaccination strategy was also explored. 359 samples were included in the analysis. The impacts of the vaccine attribute levels on vaccine choice were all statistically significant (p < .01), except for 1-hour vaccination time. The risk of mild side-effects was the most important factor influencing vaccination. The time required for vaccination was the least important attribute. The largest increase in vaccination uptake (74.45%) occurred with decreased the vaccine risk of mild side-effects from 1/10 to 1/50. The predicted vaccination uptake of the optimal vaccination scenario was 91.79%. When deciding about vaccination, parents preferred the rotavirus vaccination with lower risk of mild side-effects, higher effectiveness, longer protection duration, 2-hour vaccination time and lower cost. The authorities should support enterprises to develop vaccines with lower side-effects, higher effectiveness and longer protection duration in the future. We call for appropriate government subsidies for the rotavirus vaccine.

Prevalence and genotype distribution of group A rotavirus circulating in Shanxi Province, China during 2015-2019

BACKGROUND

Group A rotavirus (RVA), despite being a leading cause of gastroenteritis in infants and young children, is less studied in Shanxi Province, China. The current study was conducted to determine the prevalence and genetic characterization of RVA in hospitalized children younger than 10 years of age with the diagnosis of acute gastroenteritis in Shanxi Province, China.

METHODS

A hospital-based active surveillance of rotavirus gastroenteritis was conducted at Children's Hospital of Shanxi from Jan 1, 2015, through Dec 31, 2019. Rotavirus was detected in stool samples by real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). G- and P-genotypes were determined by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and nucleotide sequencing.

RESULTS

A total of 961 children younger than 10 years of age was enrolled over the study period, of whom 183 (19.0%) were positive for RVA. The highest RVA-infection frequency (23.7%) was found among children aged 12-23 months, and the seasonal peak was in December. G9P[8] was most prevalent (76.0%), followed by G3P[8] (7.1%), G2P[4] (3.3%), G1P[8] (0.5%) and G9P[4] (0.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

These results report for the first time that RVA was one of the main causes of severe infectious gastroenteritis in children, and a high proportion of G9P[8] strains circulating in most areas of Shanxi Province. While the protective efficacy of the rotavirus vaccines has been demonstrated against G9P[8] strains, our results highlight that the dominant strains have not been effectively controlled in China.

Epidemiology of Acute Rotavirus Diarrhea Among Hospitalized Children Under Five Years of Age in Hefei, China, During 2015 - 2018

Background: Rotavirus infection is still the leading cause of acute viral gastroenteritis in children under five years of age worldwide. It is also a serious public health concern in China. Objectives: This study aimed to obtain information about rotavirus diarrhea among hospitalized children in Hefei City, Anhui Province, China, in recent years. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study over four years (2015 - 2018) examining hospital admission records of rotavirus infections at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University in Hefei City of Anhui Province, China. Results: A total of 1,095 cases with acute viral gastroenteritis requiring hospital admission from January 2015 to December 2018 were analyzed. Among them, 276 cases were positive for rotavirus A infection, accounting for 25.21% of the total number of children suffering from acute diarrhea. The detection rate of rotavirus A was the highest in children aged 1 - 2 years. The peak month for rotavirus infection during 2015 - 2018 was December and January. The hospitalized children with rotavirus infection showed dehydration, electrolyte disorder, liver function abnormality, and myocardial enzyme abnormality. Conclusions: Rotavirus is still the first pathogen of acute viral diarrhea in children in Hefei, especially children < 2 years of age, which highlights the need for widespread rotavirus immunization in young children.