[Water-borne Outbreaks of Rotavirus Infections]

The clinico-epidemiological characteristics of group rotavirus infection observed in one settlement in March-April is presented. 173 cases of infection were registered in all age groups (children under 7 years constituted only 10.4% of the patients). In most of the apartments found to be the foci of infection only one patient was registered. The virological study of fecal samples from 24 patients showed the presence of human rotaviruses in the feces of 10 patients (41.7%). Neutralizing antibodies in titers of 1:4 to 1:64 were detected in all taken paired sera (21). THe clinical study of 53 hospitalized patients showed that in all cases the infectious process had acute beginning. In most patients the disease took mild forms. The peculiarities of the distribution of the patients in different age groups, the location of the foci of infection and its seasonal character, as well as some objective data on the presence of pollutions in the water mains, indicated that this infection could spread through water via the system of centralized water supply.