Tube Well Use as Protection Against Rotavirus Infection During the Monsoons in an Urban Setting

J Infect Dis. 2020 Jan 2;221(2):238-242. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiz436.

Abstract

Rotavirus, a diarrheal pathogen spread via fecal-oral transmission, is typically characterized by a winter incidence peak in most countries. Unlike for cholera and other waterborne infections, the role of sanitation and socioeconomic factors on the spatial variation of rotavirus seasonality remains unclear. In the current study, we analyzed their association with rotavirus seasonality, specifically the odds of monsoon cases, across 46 locations from 2001 to 2012 in Dhaka. Drinking water from tube wells, compared to other sources, has a clear protective effect against cases during the monsoon, when flooding and water contamination are more likely. This finding supports a significant environmental component of transmission.

Keywords: Dhaka; monsoon season; rotavirus; seasonality; tube wells; urban health.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bangladesh / epidemiology
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Drinking Water / analysis*
  • Humans
  • Rotavirus / isolation & purification
  • Rotavirus Infections / epidemiology
  • Rotavirus Infections / prevention & control
  • Rotavirus Infections / transmission*
  • Seasons
  • Urban Population
  • Water Wells*

Substances

  • Drinking Water