Epidemiological analysis of 286 clustered cases of rotavirus infection in Hohhot Clustering analysis of 286 cases of rotavirus infection in Hohhot / 公共卫生与预防医学

ABSTRACT

Objective To identify the pathogen and origins of 286 clustered cases of rotavirus infection in Hohhot, and to provide reliable basis for formulating preventive measures of rotavirus infection outbreaks. Methods Epidemiological investigation was conducted on 286 rotavirus outbreaks involving 8,560 cases in Hohhot from December 2017 to December 2020. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect the genotypes, and the related risk factors were analyzed. Results Of the 286 rotavirus outbreaks, 165 were clustered outbreaks, and the duration was 5 to 8 days, with an average of (7.05±1.06) days, presenting temporal and spatial clustering. The causes of the outbreaks included rotavirus contamination in drinking water, improper management of household infections, and inadequate hospital preventive measures. The total number of cases was 8,560, and the positive rate of rotavirus was 47.17% (4 038/8 560). Group A and B rotavirus strains were detected in vomit or stool samples. Rotavirus infection in children was mostly caused by group A rotavirus (100%) and in adults by group B rotavirus (97.59%), and the common symptoms included diarrhea, vomiting and fever. The infection rate of children (87.67%, 3,540/4,038) was significantly higher than that of adults (12.33%, 4,98/4,038) (χ2=115.520, P<0.05). Rotavirus infection occurred most frequently in autumn and winter. Conclusion Clustered outbreaks account for most of rotavirus infection events, and children are the key targets of prevention and treatment. Rotavirus screening should be strengthened.