An update from hospital-based surveillance for rotavirus gastroenteritis among young children in Bangladesh, July 2012 to June 2017

Introduction: In preparation for the introduction of a rotavirus vaccine into the routine immunization program of Bangladesh in 2018, we report data and highlight evolving genotypes from five years of active hospital-based rotavirus surveillance which began in July 2012. Methods: We enrolled and collected fresh stool from every fourth child < 5 years admitted with acute gastroenteritis (AGE) at 8 participating surveillance hospitals. Rotavirus infections were detected by enzyme immune assay. Twenty-five percent of rotavirus isolates were genotyped using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results: We found that 64% (4832/7562) of children < 5 years of age admitted with AGE had evidence of rotavirus infection. The majority (57%) of patients with rotavirus infection were <12 months of age. The most common strains were G1P[8] (43%), G12P[8] (15%) and G9P[8] (9%); 11% of children had mixed infection.G3P[8], which has not been reported in Bangladesh since 2001, was documented for the first time in our surveillance system. Conclusions: The high burden of rotavirus-associated hospitalizations highlights the potential value of rotavirus vaccination in Bangladesh. Continued surveillance is important for monitoring the impact of vaccination as well as monitoring evolving genotypes.