Prevalence of Enteric Viruses among Young Children with Acute Diarrhea in Benin City, Nigeria

Background: Viral intestinal infections are the most common cause of acute infectious diarrhea among children worldwide.
Aims: This study was carried out to investigate the prevalence of enteric viruses in young children 0-24 months in an urban secondary health center in Benin City, Nigeria.
Methodology: Stool specimens were collected from 168 children with clinical signs of diarrhea and 45 apparently healthy age-matched children without diarrhea. The specimens were analyzed by immunochromatographic technique following manufacturer’s instructions.
Results: The overall prevalence of viral agents was 39.3% for diarrheal patients. No viral agent was detected in the control. Rotavirus had a prevalence of 27.4%, adenovirus 9.5% and norovirus 2.4%. There was a significant association between age group and infection (P<0.0001), but no statistical significance with respect to sex (P>0.05). The distribution of viral infection showed that single infection was 32.1% while mixed infection was 7.1%. The effect of feeding patterns on viral diarrhea was not statistically significant (P>0.05) while the effects of some variables on pediatric viral diarrhea showed statistical significance with respect to season (P=0.038), and no statistical significance as regards family socioeconomic status, maternal level of education and maternal occupation (P>0.05).
Conclusion: Viral diarrhea had a prevalence of 39.3%, and rotavirus was the most prevalent agent. Free rotavirus vaccination, other viral preventive measures such as proper education of the populace and viral diagnostic testing are advocated for children with diarrheal infection in this locality.