Molecular epidemiology of rotaviruses in Northwest Ethiopia after national vaccine introduction

In the early period after the introduction of vaccination, rotaviruses in Northwestern Ethiopia were frequent in children of 6-59 months and diverse. High phylogenetic relatedness with strains of the pre-vaccine era, indicate absence of early vaccine-induced strain replacement. Future surveillance studies should be carried out throughout the country to gain comprehensive data on rotavirus strain diversity and to monitor the effect of the ongoing vaccine program on the disease burden and eventual rotavirus strain replacement.