Rotavirus: Prevention is the best cure!

By: Hilleman Laboratories on January 26, 2016

Despite having safe and effective vaccines for Rotavirus, the disease continues to kill nearly half a million children each year and hospitalises millions more. The most powerful tool against it is the Rotavirus vaccine, which is still inaccessible by a majority of the global population.

While Oral Rehydration solution has helped in significantly decrease diarrheal disease mortality since its adoption in 1978, diarrhoea continues to be a major cause of childhood illness and mortality globally. Rotavirus, one of the most common cause of severe diarrhoea, is responsible for approximately 40% of all under 5 diarrheal hospitalisation and thousands of deaths worldwide.

Rotavirus vaccine offer the best protection for children and are an essential part of comprehensive diarrhoea control. While the WHO recommends that all countries introduce Rotavirus vaccine, only 77 have done so, 34 of which are Gavi-eligible countries where majority of the deaths occur. Unfortunately some of the most vulnerable children and communities do not have access to the vaccines.

In particular, Asia has lagged in introducing rotavirus vaccines, even though it accounts for more than 40% of global rotavirus deaths.

While dramatic reductions in deaths from childhood diarrheal disease have been achieved in Bangladesh, there are still more than 2.4 million rotavirus cases each year. It causes 2 out of every 3 diarrhea-related hospitalizations among children under 5. There are also serious economic consequences.

In India, where rotavirus is equally prevalent, the disease poses a significant financial burden to families and the country’s economy. Studies have shown that a hospitalization for rotavirus could potentially push a family into poverty or keep them there. Depending on the level of care, the total cost of a rotavirus hospitalization could range anywhere from nearly $32 to more than $135, equal to up to 2 months of income for an average Indian family. Rotavirus also burdens the healthcare system with the high cost of hospitalizations and outpatient visits.

Rotavirus affects a country’s economic and developmental goals as it affects the most crucial population i.e. under 5 kids. The kids are the most important portion of any society as they are the future of any country, thus making them the priority for any developing economy. For fast-growing countries like India and Bangladesh, tackling rotavirus—which affects children and the nation of productivity, well-being and development—should be a priority.

Last July, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that rotavirus will be included in the Universal Immunization Programme; and in April 2015, the first India-made rotavirus vaccine, ROTAVAC, was launched. Now is the time to get to the finish line—the cost of delaying access to rotavirus vaccines continues to mount. Together we can close this immunization gap and virtually eliminate rotavirus! 

Reference – (http://www.impatientoptimists.org/Posts/2015/04/For-Rotavirus-Prevention-is-the-Best-Medicine#.VopKOvl97IU)