RETRACTED: Gradual emergence followed by exponential spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in Africa.

The geographic and evolutionary origins of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (BA.1), which was first detected mid-November 2021 in Southern Africa, remain unknown. We tested 13,097 COVID-19 patients sampled between mid-2021 to early 2022 from 22 African countries for BA.

Epidemiologic and genotypic characteristics of rotavirus strains detected in children less than 5 years of age with gastroenteritis treated at 3 pediatric hospitals in Zimbabwe during 2008-2011.

Background: In anticipation of rotavirus vaccine introduction, the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health initiated rotavirus surveillance in 2008 to describe the rotavirus epidemiological trends and circulating genotypes among children <5 years of age.

Methods: Active hospital-based surveillance for diarrhea was conducted at 3 sentinel sites from January 2008 to December 2011. Children aged <5 years, who presented with acute gastroenteritis as a primary illness and who were admitted to a hospital ward or treated at the emergency unit, were enrolled in the surveillance program and had a stool specimen collected and tested for rotavirus by enzyme immunoassay.