RVF received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to assess the prevalence of rotavirus disease in children 5 years of age and younger in Egypt. RVF is partnering with an Egyptian interdisciplinary consortium led by Nile University to conduct the study. Partners include the Virology Laboratory of the National Research Center, Virology Laboratory of the Central Laboratories of the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Theodor Bilharz Research Institute.  Select children’s hospitals and laboratories in geographically distinct areas – both urban and rural- will collect data on rotavirus prevalence to establish how widespread rotavirus disease is in Egyptian children.

The study will: conduct a baseline assessment of surveillance at each participating hospital study site, document current clinical and epidemiological practices for implementing surveillance activities, document current laboratory capacity for performing serologic procedures in support of rotavirus surveillance, and results dissemination.

The study is part of the preparation process in anticipation of the universal introduction of rotavirus vaccination for children in Egypt.