Rotavirus was culprit in one-fourth of children's diarrhea-
related emergency department visits prior to vaccine Rotavirus
is the leading cause of severe vomiting and diarrhea among
children worldwide. In fact, rotavirus contributed to about one-
fourth of all diarrhea-associated outpatient and emergency
department (ED) visits among U.S. children under 5 years old,
according to a new study. What's more, the rate of diarrhea-
associated outpatient and ED visits among these children changed
little from 1995 through 2004. These data will help determine
the impact of the new rotavirus vaccine introduced in 2006,
which is given during the first year of infant life, on reducing
diarrhea-related visits, note the researchers. They examined the
number of diarrhea-related visits per 10,000 patient-years to
outpatient clinics and EDs by children under age 5. Outpatient
clinic rates of 932 visits per 10,000 patient-years for
1995-1996 rose only slightly to 1,011 visits per 10,000 patient-
years for 2003-2004. The rate for ED