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Abstract
Rotavirus is a leading cause of infant diarrhea worldwide and is responsible for about 20 per cent of diarrhea-related deaths in children under the age of 5. Rotavirus is responsible for between 20-50 per cent of hospitalized diarrhea cases. The study was carried out from June 2014 through November 2014. A total of 191 samples of stools with history of diarrhea were obtained from infants & children under 5 years of age. State of vaccination with Rotavirus has been noted. A Rotavirus stool antigen detection kit (SD-Bioline) was used to detect rota viral antigen in the stool sample. 78 (40.8 per cent) of the 191 stool samples analyzed were positive for Rotavirus antigen. 134 (70.2 percent) belonged to under 2 years of age in this sample and 57 (29.8 percent) were between 2-5 years of age. Of the 191 babies, 100 have been vaccinated against Rotavirus. Positive to Rotavirus antigen was found among the 91 unimmunized, 78 (85.7 per cent). The increase in the incidence of unimmunized Rotavirus diarrhea as compared with immunized children indicates the need for vaccination with Rotavirus. Thus vaccination with Rotavirus may lead to substantial reduction of Rotavirus diarrhoea in children under the age of 5. Widespread use of the Rotavirus vaccines over the next decade will prevent around 2 million deaths.