Why your baby needs rotavirus vaccine

New Delhi: Rotavirus is a highly infectious stomach bug that typically affects babies and young children.

Diarrhoea is one of the biggest killers in children and rotavirus is one of the most common causes of severe diarrhoea in children less than 2 years of age. The virus can also cause vomiting, fever and abdominal pain.

Rotavirus diarrhoea can also lead to dehydration, malnutrition and delayed physical and mental development in children.

The best way to protect your child from severe rotavirus disease is to give rotavirus vaccine.

Watch the video below that shows how rotavirus vaccine can help prevent diarrhoea in children.

Currently, there are three licensed orally administered rotavirus vaccines available in markets and used in India. These vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective in large scale clinical trials.

It has been estimated that rotavirus vaccination can prevent 41,000 to 48,000 deaths of children under 5 years of age in India.

Unfortunately, there is no drug currently available that treats rotavirus infection. Generally, rotavirus illness is treated with ORS and Zinc for 14 days

Rotavirus vaccine along with proper sanitation, hand washing practices, ORS and zinc supplementation can dramatically reduce the mortality and morbidity due to diarrhoea in children.