We aimed to determine the epidemiology and burden of
rotavirus (RV) gastroenteritis (GE) in children requiring
hospital care in an urban setting in Sabah, Malaysia. A
prospective study of all patients younger than 12 years of
age admitted with acute GE to Queen Elizabeth Hospital,
Sabah, over a six-month period (October 2005 to March 2006)
was conducted. During the study period, a total of 167
children with acute GE who had stool samples examined for
RV were studied. RV accounted for 16% of all diarrhoeal
cases, and 1.7% of all admissions to the children’s wards
during the study period. There was no difference in severity
of GE between RV and non-RV groups. RV infection is a
common cause of childhood GE requiring hospital care in
Sabah.