Rotavirus Still a Significant Burden in Maharashtra Children Under 5, finds study
A new study published in the Indian Journal of Pediatrics showed that with seasonal and demographic variations, rotavirus continues to be a prominent cause of severe gastroenteritis in children in Maharashtra.
In Maharashtra, rotavirus gastroenteritis continues to be a major cause of severe watery diarrhea in children under 5, resulting in significant outpatient visits, hospital stays, and occasionally fatalities, particularly during seasonal peaks. Due to their underdeveloped immunity and increased exposure in homes and daycare centers, babies and young toddlers bear the brunt of the load.
Vaccination and early rehydration are important preventative measures since rotavirus transmission continues through the fecal–oral pathway, despite advances in cleanliness reducing certain enteric diseases. Planning vaccination coverage, monitoring, and resource allocation is made easier with an understanding of Maharashtra-specific epidemiology. This study was set to characterize rotavirus infection frequency, seasonality, age distribution, clinical features, and genotypes in children in Maharashtra, India.
As part of a nationwide multicenter monitoring effort, this descriptive research was carried out at 4 locations in Maharashtra between December 2020 and December 2023. Children with acute gastroenteritis between the ages of 0 and 59 months were included. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to analyze stool samples for rotavirus, and those that were positive were genotyped. Descriptive statistics were used to assess clinical and demographic data.
173 (32.7%) of the 534 stool samples that were tested for rotavirus came back positive. 377 (71.3%) of the 529 individuals whose vaccination records were accessible had received at least one dose of the rotavirus vaccine. In this study, rotavirus positive was highest in 2022 (41.4%) and lowest in 2023 (27.6%) among children who were vaccinated (32.6%) and unvaccinated (32.9%).
Cooler months had a greater prevalence of RVGE than warmer ones, and children between the ages of 12 and 23 months had a higher incidence than older and younger children. Rotavirus-positive children were more likely than rotavirus-negative children to experience vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and severe dehydration. 67.2% of the genotypes found were either G2P or G3P.
Overall, rotavirus was discovered in 32.7% of gastroenteritis samples in this Maharashtra investigation, with comparable detection rates among children who had received vaccinations and those who had not. The incidence peaked in 2022 (41.4%) and in the colder months, particularly in children between the ages of 12 and 23 months. Dehydration and more severe symptoms were present in rotavirus patients. G3P[8] and G2P[4], which accounted for 67.2% of cases, were the most circulating genotypes.
Source:
Engade, M., Haseeb, M., Ali, S. Y., Siddiqui, M. S., Jadhav, A., Rathod, K. G., Dhongade, A., Chaudhary, V. S., Kharat, N., Machathi, A., Lingam, R., & Varghese, T. (2025). Epidemiology of Rotavirus gastroenteritis in children under five in Maharashtra, India: A multicenter surveillance study after vaccine introduction. Indian Journal of Pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-025-05805-2
