Rotavirus diarrhoea in children in the highlands of Papua new Guinea
Pratt, D.; Smith, D.; Barker, J.; Diwan, A.; Alpers, M.P.
Papua and new Guinea Medical Journal 35(1): 23-25
1992
ISSN/ISBN: 0031-1480 PMID: 1314472 Document Number: 403478
Children from the highlands of Papua New Guinea, hospitalized for severe diarrhoea, were examined for clinical signs and the presence of rotaviruses. Rotavirus was detected in faecal samples from 68% (23/38) of patients examined. In contrast to other studies, an excess of respiratory symptoms was not observed and the infection rate of disease due to rotavirus was relatively high in children under 6 months of age. In an environment where pigs and humans share close contact a rotavirus strain infecting piglets was also demonstrated.