Asia fails to take up rotavirus vaccine

Most countries in Asia have yet to make the rotavirus vaccine part of their national immunization programme (NIP), despite a World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation to do so. “Timely vaccination with one of the two effective rotavirus vaccines [Rotarix and Rotateq] can prevent many cases of [rotavirus] illness and hospitalizations,” WHO’s Manila office said in an email to IRIN on 7 September. “WHO recommends the inclusion of rotavirus vaccine in the national immunization schedules of all countries.” According to WHO, rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhoeal disease in young children, with more than 500,000 children under the age of five dying worldwide each year. Highly contagious, the virus causes vomiting and severe diarrhoea that can lead to dehydration and potential death. Children aged six months to two years are particularly vulnerable to infection. Worldwide, rotavirus accounts for 37 percent of all diarrhoea deaths in children under five with 95 percent...