Rotavirus infections are one of the most common hospital acquired infections in pediatric hospitals. Laboratory confirmed hospital acquired rotavirus infections from 12 pediatric hospitals in Canada were documented for a 3 year period, 2005-7. Overall, hospital acquired infections represented one quarter of all rotavirus hospitalizations for an annual rate of 0.45 per 1000 hospital days with a peak of 0.68 per 1,000 hospital days between December and May. Approximately 8% developed symptoms <72 hours after hospital discharge and required admission to hospital for management of rotavirus infection. Sixty percent of cases were less than 1 year of age and 75% had underlying medical illnesses. Given the licensure and increasing use of rotavirus vaccines, baseline data on the incidence and epidemiology of hospital acquired rotavirus infections will be useful in order to determine the potential impact of vaccination on hospital acquired rotavirus.
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