Peer-reviewed article
Rotavirus infection and breastfeeding practices among children under two: Findings from a tertiary hospital in Chattogram, Bangladesh (2018-20).
Muhammad Gias Uddin, Immamul Muntasir, Mehejabin Nurunnahar, Mohammed Hossain, Mohammad Belal Uddin et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined rotavirus infection rates and breastfeeding practices among children under 2 years hospitalized with diarrhea in Bangladesh. Rotavirus caused 60% of acute watery diarrhea cases, with the highest rates in children aged 7–12 months. Exclusive breastfeeding was strongly protective against rotavirus infection, reducing risk by 90% in both younger and older infants. The study found that 98% of children were unvaccinated against rotavirus.
Key points
- 60% of 226 hospitalized children with acute watery diarrhea tested positive for rotavirus
- Exclusive breastfeeding reduced rotavirus infection risk by 10-fold in children ≤6 months (OR: 10.0; 95% CI: 4.81–17.97)
- For children >6 months, non-exclusive breastfeeding increased infection risk 9.72 times
- Peak infection rate was 64% in children aged 7–12 months
- Nearly all children (98%) were unvaccinated against rotavirus
Limitations
This cross-sectional study only included hospitalized children with acute diarrhea in one tertiary hospital, so it cannot establish causation or represent community prevalence. The study cannot distinguish whether non-exclusive breastfeeding directly caused rotavirus susceptibility or whether other factors confounded this association.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of rotavirus infection and explore the association between exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) and rotavirus-related diarrhea among children under 2 years of age in Bangladesh. METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted between July 2018 and June 2020 in the Pediatric Inpatient Department of Chittagong Medical College Hospital. A total of 226 children under 2 years hospitalized with acute watery diarrhea were enrolled. Stool samples were tested for rotavirus. Data on demographics, feeding practices, vaccination, and clinical features were collected. Associations were assessed using odds ratios and statistical tests. RESULTS: Among the 226 children, 60% tested positive for rotavirus. Children aged 7-12 months had the highest infection rate (64%). EBF was significantly protective: in children ≤6 months, non-EBF was associated with a 10-fold higher risk of infection (odds ratio: 10.0; 95% confidence interval: 4.81-17.97; P =.04). For children >6 months, the risk was 9.72 times higher (P <.001). Nearly all children (98%) were unvaccinated. CONCLUSIONS: Rotavirus was highly prevalent among non-exclusively breastfed children. These findings emphasize the need to promote EBF and expand rotavirus vaccination coverage to reduce pediatric diarrheal morbidity.