Post-vaccine rotavirus genotype distribution in Nairobi County, Kenya

Highlights • This article reports post-vaccine rotavirus G and P genotypes in Nairobi County. • G1P[8] dominance has decreased following the introduction of Rotarix. • There has been an increased prevalence of G2 genotypes following Rotarix introduction. • There has been a change in genetic diversity of rotavirus strains in Nairobi, Kenya.
Background Rotaviruses are primary etiological agents of gastroenteritis in young children. In Kenya, G1P8 monovalent vaccine (Rotarix) was introduced in July 2014 for mandatory vaccination of all newborns at 6 and 10 weeks of age. Since then, no studies have been done to identify the rotavirus genotypes circulating in Nairobi County, Kenya, following the vaccine introduction, hence the post-vaccine genotype distribution is not known. Objectives The aim of this study was to determine the post-vaccine occurrence of rotavirus genotypes in children