Norovirus in São Paulo city, Brazil, 2010-2016: a cross-sectional study of the leading cause of gastroenteritis in children^*

Objective:  to describe cases of acute diarrheal disease caused by norovirus in children under 5 years old in São Paulo city, Brazil.

Methods:  this was a cross-sectional study using data from Epidemiological Surveillance of Gastroenteritis due to Rotavirus; cases were defined as patients hospitalized in a sentinel unit because of acute diarrheal disease and laboratory identification of norovirus as the etiological agent between 2010 and 2016.

Results:  during the study period, the proportion of norovirus cases in children under 5 years old exceeded the proportion of Rotavirus, an agent considered predominant in childhood; norovirus was associated with 28.4% of total reported cases, occurring all year round, especially in warmer months.

Conclusion:  norovirus was the leading etiological agent identified in children under 5 years old with acute diarrheal disease in São Paulo city.

Keywords:
Norovirus; Diarrhea; Epidemiological Monitoring; Epidemiology, Descriptive