Estimated deaths due to rotavirus in Bangladesh

Abstract

We estimated the number of childhood deaths from rotavirus in Bangladesh. We used the under 5 mortality rate and proportion of deaths due to diarrhoea from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2004 to derive diarrhoea death figures, and multiplied these figures with the proportion of diarrhoea that was due to rotavirus in two ICDDR,B hospital surveillance systems in Dhaka and Matlab. We estimate that between 5,756 and 13,430 children died each year in Bangladesh between 2001 and 2004 from severe rotavirus gastroenteritis. An effective, affordable rotavirus vaccine could save thousands of lives each year in Bangladesh.