Rotavirus-associated acute diarrhea outbreak in West Shewa Zone of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia, 2017.

Introduction: Rotavirus causes severe-diarrheal diseases in infants. An estimation of 138 million rotavirus-associated diarrheal cases and 215,000 deaths occur every year globally. In December 2016, West-Shewa zone in Ethiopia reported unidentified gastrointestinal diarrhea outbreak.

Impact of rotavirus vaccine introduction and genotypic characteristics of rotavirus strains in children less than 5 years of age with gastroenteritis in Ethiopia: 2011-2016.

Introduction: A monovalent rotavirus vaccine was introduced in the Ethiopian Expanded Program on Immunization from November 2013. We compared impact of rotavirus vaccine introduction on rotavirus associated acute diarrhea hospitalizations and genotypic characteristics of rotavirus strains pre-and post-vaccine introduction.

Methods: Sentinel surveillance for diarrhea among children <5 years of age was conducted at 3 hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 2011 to 2017.

Epidemiology of laboratory confirmed measles virus cases in the southern nations of Ethiopia, 2007-2014.

Background: In Ethiopia, measles case-based surveillance was introduced in 2004 as one strategy for measles control by laboratory confirmation of suspected cases. In this article, epidemiological distribution of laboratory-confirmed measles cases were reported from the Southern Nation Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR) of Ethiopia between 2007 and 2014, as the region is one of the highly measles affected areas in Ethiopia.

Method: A serum sample was collected from all measles suspected cases, and patient information was captured by case reporting format (CRF).

Epidemiology of rubella virus cases in the pre-vaccination era of Ethiopia, 2009-2015.

Background: Rubella is a common mild rash illness caused by rubella virus. The majority of infections occur in children and young adults. The infection is the cause of a serious birth defect known as Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS) when a woman acquires infection early in pregnancy.

Epidemiology of laboratory confirmed measles virus cases in Amhara Regional State of Ethiopia, 2004-2014.

Background: Measles is a highly contagious viral infection causing large outbreaks all over the world. Despite the availability of safe and cost effective vaccine, measles remained endemic with persistent periodic outbreaks in the Horn of Africa. The aim of this study is to characterize laboratory confirmed measles cases in Amhara Regional State, which was one of the highly affected regions in Ethiopia.

Hospital-based surveillance for rotavirus gastroenteritis in children younger than 5 years of age in Ethiopia: 2007-2012.

Background: Rotavirus surveillance was initiated in Ethiopia to estimate the burden of rotavirus gastroenteritis in children <5 years of age, to generate data to assist the policy-making process for new vaccine introduction and to monitor impact of vaccination on disease burden after introduction.

Methods: Sentinel surveillance was conducted at 3 hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia using a standardized WHO surveillance protocol from August 2007 to March 2012. Children <5 years of age, hospitalized for the primary reason of treatment for acute gastroenteritis, were enrolled, stool samples were collected and tested for group A rotavirus using an enzyme immunoassay.