How many children are affected by rotavirus each year?
In the U.S., rotavirus is responsible for approximately 5 percent to 10 percent of all diarrhea among children less than 5 years of age. However, because rotavirus causes more severe diarrhea than other pathogens, it accounts for a greater proportion of severe diarrhea cases (e.g., 40%-50% of diarrhea hospitalizations). Rotavirus accounts for more than 500,000 physician visits and approximately 50,000 hospitalizations each year among children less than 5 years of age. An estimated one in 200,000 children with rotavirus diarrhea die from the complications of the infection.
