Abstract:
Rotavirus infections are the chief source of acute gastroenteritis in children of
five years and below causing 600,000 deaths globally and about 80% occurring in
Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Rotavirus has caused more than 3908 infant
deaths in Kenya. After introducing the vaccine, a limited amount of information
on the effects of this in Kericho County has been made available to the public. The study focused on determining the prevalence, demographic characteristics
and the diversity of rotavirus strains in children seeking medical attention at the
Kericho County Referral Hospital. The study used a hospital-based cross- sectional survey design. Simple random sampling was employed to recruit the
study participants. The study population was children aged five years and under
seeking medical attention for gastroenteritis. A sample size of 200 stools was
collected using sterile stool collection polypots and transferred to the National
Rotavirus Laboratory based at The Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi. Demographic characteristics of the participants in the study were obtained using
structured questionnaires. Identification of rotavirus-positive samples was done
using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (sandwich ELISA). Long and short
eletropherotypes were characterized of using Sodium dodecyl sulphate
Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Molecular characterization of
rotavirus strains was done using Reverse Transcriptase –Polymerase Chain
Reaction (RT-PCR) genotyping of G-genotypes and P-genotypes. Among the 200
samples, 23 tested positive for rotavirus when subjected to Enzyme-Linked
Immunosorbent Assay (sandwich ELISA). This resulted in a prevalence of 11.5%. Among the twenty three samples, fourteen were from male participants (60.87%)
while nine (39.13%) were from female children. All the children had been
vaccinated, except for one whose guardian was uncertain. This study confirmed
that children above 20 months of age were most affected. SDS-PAGE indicated
that all positive samples were long electropherotypes.RT-PCR confirmed G3
genotype as the leading serotype affecting the children. In conclusion, the
ROTARIX
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vaccine currently in use by the National Immunization Program might
not completely protect against rotavirus infections in the age-group being studied. There might be a need for the introduction of a vaccine booster for older children
and the inclusion of a multivalent vaccine for emerging strains. The data
generated from this study is of benefit to the County Government of Kericho and
National Ministry of Health.
