Acute gastroenteritis caused by Norovirus in children – our experience

Sa？etak Norovirus gastroenteritis is generally a mild disease of short incubation, occurring mostly in adults and older school-aged children; often presenting with short-term vomiting/and or diarrhea, sometimes with fever, headache and muscle and joint pain. The treatment is symptomatic. It is a highly contagious infection and a common cause of hospital infections. A total of 154 preschool and school-aged children were admitted to the University Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Zagreb under the diagnosis of acute gastroenteritis/enterocolitis, over a six-month period (from October 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009). The youngest patient was 3 years and 8 months old, and the oldest 13 years and 7 months. The causative agent was proved in 65% of patients (100 children), in 20% of whom the infection was caused by Norovirus. Four children (20%) acquired Norovirus infection during their hospital stay, and eight (40%) in their immediate family