GUATEMALA CITY – A total of 274 rotavirus cases have been reported so far this year in Guatemala, but there have been no deaths, Guatemalan Health Minister Ludwig Ovalle said.

Rotavirus cases have been registered in the western province of Quetzaltenango, the northwestern province of Huehuetenango, the southern provinces of Retalhuleu and Escuintla, and the northern province of Baja Verapaz, Ovalle said.

Rotavirus, which mainly affects children, produces a number of serious symptoms, including vomiting and fever, along with acute and dehydrating diarrhea.

Quetzaltenango province alone registered more than 50 cases, the health minister said.

Despite the number of cases detected this year, officials do not believe that they are dealing with an epidemic, Ovalle said.

Rotavirus cases tend to spike in Guatemala between January and March, Ovalle said, adding that health officials plan to carry out an immunization campaign.

A 2004 rotavirus epidemic in Guatemala killed 141 people and infected about 24,000 others.

Rotavirus, according to the World Health Organization, “is the most common cause of severe diarrheal disease in infants and young children all over the world, and an important public health problem, particularly in developing countries. The only control measure likely to have a significant impact on the incidence of severe disease is vaccination.”