After launching rotavirus vaccine in 11 States in phases in the last two years, the Union Health Ministry is all set to extend the life saving vaccine for small kids in 19 more States and seven UTs under its universal immunisation programme (UIP), thus covering the entire country as per the WHO recommendation. The aim is to ensure children complete prevention from the deadly virus that can cause extreme diarrhoea and can even be fatal in some cases.
Rotavirus accounts for 40 per cent of hospitalisations due to diarrhea in children in India with nearly 78,000 deaths, 32 lakh out-patient visits and nearly 9 lakh hospitalisations every year. Globally, Rotavirus diarrhea causes about 4,53,000 deaths in under-5 children, a senior health official said.
In India, the vaccine was first introduced under the UIP in 2016 in Odisha and subsequently expanded to Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.
“We will soon cover the remaining States as well, thus bringing all the new-borne kids in the entire country under the ambit of the Rotavirus vaccine. Officials in all the 19 States and UTs have been trained and there is no shortage of vaccine,” the official said.
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. Besides launching rotavirus vaccines, the government has also stressed on proper sanitation, hand washing practices, ORS and zinc supplementation with an aim to cut downthe mortality and morbidity due to diarrhoea in children.
According to the official, approximately 50 per cent of Rotavirus-associated deaths occur in the first year of life and about 75 per cent occur in the first two years of life.
The rotavirus infects the intestinal tract of humans and animals. “It is highly contagious and is usually transmitted via the fecal-oral route. The rotavirus is easily transmitted person to person from infected stool via inanimate objects. Children can spread rotavirus both before and after they become sick with diarrhea,” they said.
The rotavirus is a member of the Reoviridae family. There are 7 different strains of the virus: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, with Rotavirus A being the most common cause of viral gastroenteritis.
