Rotavirus from children of an urban settlement of Papua New Guinea.

Rotavirus is a leading cause of severe dehydrating diarrhoea among children admitted to hospitals in Papua New Guinea. A community-based study in an urban settlement of Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, revealed that rotavirus was a major cause of diarrhoea, especially of the severe type, in this community. Two serotypes of rotavirus were observed and were explained on the basis of a 'shift and drift' phenomenon, or an introduction of a new strain from outside. Implications for such observations are far reaching in developing countries and it is recommended that intervention strategies other than vaccine development be explored.