Rotavirus Gastroenteritis among Children Under five years of agein Gaza, Palestine

Rotavirus belongs to the Reoviridae family, a group of segmented double stranded Ribonucleic acid viruses. The virus is a major cause of gastroenteritis and diarrhea in infants and young children worldwide. Rotaviral gastroenteritis may result in mortality for populations at risk such as infants, the elderly and immune compromised patients. Objective: This study aims to evaluate occurrence of rotavirus among under five years children with acute gastroenteritis attending Nasser complex and European Gaza Governmental Hospitals, Palestine during august 2018. Methods: Cross sectional design used in this study, Fecal samples from 100 children with ages ranging from less than 1 month to 5 years, living in the south Gaza, who presented with acute gastroenteritis and diarrhea episodes, were analyzed. sufficient quantity of faces (1-2 grams or milliliters for liquid sample one per each subject) is collected as soon as the children were admitted to the hospital by the help of their parents in clean and dry containers (no preservatives or transport media are used). The samples was been tested immediately using an immune chromatography-based diagnostic kit. The study was conducted during the peak diarrheal season August of the year 2018. Results: Rotavirus was detected in 35% of the fecal specimens examined, and most of positive tested patients (86%) were under 24 months old, the infection rates was increase with the decreasing of the age. Children infected with rotavirus were more likely to be watery stool 65.7%, fever 60%, vomiting 82.8% and dehydration 68.6%.