Estimates of the burden of rotavirus disease in Malaysia.

Data from the Ministry of Health (Kuala Lumpur) was analysed to derive rates of hospitalisation, clinic visits, and deaths related to acute gastroenteritis (AG) among children <5 years of age. In 1999 and 2000, an average of 13,936 children (1 in 187 children) were hospitalised for AG. Surveillance of outpatient clinic visits for AG identified an average of 60,342 visits/year between 1998 and 2000. The AG-associated mortality rate was 2.5 deaths/100,000 children. Based on the finding that 50% of children were hospitalised for rotavirus diarrhoea, we estimated that 1 in 61 children will be hospitalised for rotavirus disease and that 1 in 37 children will seek treatment as an outpatient. J Infect Dis. 2005;192 Suppl 1:S80-6.