Rotavirus gastroenteritis in the Czech Republic before the start of vaccination

Background: The primary objective of our study was to investigate rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) retrospectively in the Czech Republic (CzR) and try to estimate its significance in the most affected age groups in the prerotavirus vaccine era. Methods: To analyze the epidemiological data on RVGE in the CzR, two databases were used retrospectively. The first database consisted of regular yearly reports from the laboratories diagnosing rotavirus infections from 1998 to 2006. The second database used was EPIDAT (the official notification system of the hygiene service). The data from 1998 to 2006 was analysed. Results: From 1998 to 2006, the laboratories reported 1,430 to 4,815 cases of RVGE per year. By extrapolation, in the CR in 2006, there were an estimated 4,076 rotavirus-related hospitalizations (696.7/100,000 in the age group < 5 years). The most commonly applied detection systems in 2006 were immunochromatography and latex agglutination. Of the RVGE cases recorded in the Epidat database between 1998-2006, 76.0-89.2% were for children aged less than five years. Seasonality was observed with the highest incidence rates between January and May with most cases usually occurring in March. Over nine years, there were six deaths linked directly to RVGE -three deaths reported in children under two and three deaths reported in elderly people whose deaths were related to the epidemics in retirement homes. Conclusions: The estimated incidence rates of RVGE hospitalization in 2006 was higher in the CzR than that reported in other industrialized European countries. Our findings might verify the need for rotavirus vaccine implementation in the Czech Republic and reinforce the importance of rotavirus gastroenteritis surveillance.