Rotavirus Epidemiology in Bangui, Central African Republic, 20081

To the Editor: Infection with group A rotavirus is among the leading causes of gastroenteritis in children, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (1). Data with regard to the incidence of rotavirus-A disease in the Central African Republic are limited (2). To estimate the prevalence of rotavirus-A disease among young children before introduction of rotavirus-A vaccine in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, we performed a prospective study during February–September 2008. The target sample size, based on an expected 20% prevalence of rotavirus diarrhea and a 5% significance level, was 250 cases. All patients were children 0–5 years of age, who were hospitalized for acute diarrhea at the Complexe Pediatrique, Bangui, the main hospital for children in the Central African Republic, and all had an illness that met the World Health Organization definition of a suspected case of rotavirus-A gastroenteritis (www.who.int/nuvi/surveillance/RV_Case_Defs.pdf). After informed consent and epidemiologic and clinical data had been obtained, a fecal specimen was collected from each child. Samples were transported to the Institut Pasteur de Bangui, where they were tested for rotavirus-A antigen by using the VIKIA Rota-Adeno test, (VIKIA Rota-Adeno; bioMerieux SA, Lyon, France). Results were immediately reported ​​ to the referring physician.