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The Belgian Institute of Public Health registered from 2000 to 2005 a yearly average of 6,790 hospital admissions for rotavirus gastroenteritis in children less than 5 years of age. Very efficacious rotavirus vaccines are available nowadays. The surveillance of hospitalisation due to rotavirus gastroenteritis is a good target for the follow-up of vaccine-related prevention. In a large regional Belgian hospital, rotavirus is associated with 12% to 21% of all hospitalisation days among children less than 2 years of age. The general implementation of rotavirus vaccination could dramatically reduce the hospitalisation of young children due to rotavirus gastroenteritis in developed countries.

Unlabelled: Post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is a well recognised complication of spinal and epidural anaesthesia. It can also occur after diagnostic or therapeutic lumbar puncture. Few cases have been reported in children. We reviewed the literature regarding definition, aetiology, incidence, risk factors, prevention and treatment, in order to provide some recommendations. Significant factors include age, gender, needle diameter, needle tip design, orientation of the tip during puncture, previous PDPH, history of migraine and repeated attempts to achieve puncture. There is no evidence for the use of increased fluids or bed rest to prevent PDPH. Once the diagnosis is made, conservative therapy is recommended for 48 h. Persistent PDPH can be treated in several ways; an epidural blood patch is one of the most effective methods., Conclusion: occurrence of post-dural puncture headache after lumbar puncture in children is rare. There are conflicting data about risk factors, prevention and treatment.

Unlabelled: We present the case of an 8-month-old boy with failure to thrive and hypoalbuminaemia due to protein malnutrition caused by the replacement of milk by a rice drink. All symptoms resolved with an appropriate feeding., Conclusion: Rice drinks are no alternatives to infant milk formulas and carry a serious risk for the development of protein malnutrition.