<p>Abstract: Background: Rotavirus is globally the most common viral pathogen in childhood</p><p>gastroenteritis. This study aimed to estimate the number of Turkish children suering from</p><p>early-childhood gastroenteritis by rotavirus by performing a meta-analysis. Methods: Meta-analysis</p><p>following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)</p><p>guidelines was performed. Following the guidelines, primary studies were found reporting the</p><p>prevalence of rotavirus gastroenteritis in Turkey. We performed a computerized search of published</p><p>studies in national and international databases from 1990 to 2018. We selected 38 out of 721 studies</p><p>for our study. Meta-analysis was carried out using R statistical software. The Cochrane Q statistic</p><p>was calculated to assess the heterogeneity of the study results. Heterogeneity among studies was</p><p>evaluated using the I2 statistic. Eect-size estimate was reported with 95% confidence interval.</p><p>Results: On the basis of 38 selected articles, 80,113 children up to five years of age were diagnosed</p><p>with symptoms of acute gastroenteritis, of whom the stool samples of 13,651 children were positive</p><p>for rotavirus. The pooled prevalence of rotavirus was 19% in children younger than five years of age</p><p>with acute gastroenteritis. In terms of seasonal prevalence, the highest prevalence rate was found</p><p>in winter. Conclusion: This study supports the major prevalence of early-childhood gastroenteritis</p><p>by rotavirus among Turkish children. Therefore, the decision to adopt immunization programs to</p><p>prevent rotavirus infection might be helpful in Turkey.</p>