Oral Vaccine
To all the mother's out there! If you care for the over-all being of your child, vaccinate your newborns against rota virus. The vaccines must be initially administered orally among newborns six to 12 weeks after birth while the succeeding dose is given after four weeks.
The inclusion of rota virus vaccination in the Department of Health’s (DOH) Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) is good decision for the children of the Philippines.
What is Rota Virus? Rota virus is the virus that causes severe diarrhea and vomiting among children below five years old. It is the second leading killer of under-five Filipino children, accounting for 3,500 deaths annually.
It is undeniable that special attention must be given to the health of our children, particularly because many of them are continuously and needlessly suffering from diseases that are either preventable or treatable.
Diarrhea is a preventable disease. if it will be reduced or eradicated, this will contribute to the reduction of under-five mortality in the Philippines.
According to studies almost all kids have had a rotavirus infection by the time they are five years old.
Signs and Symptoms
Kids with a rotavirus infection have fever, nausea, and vomiting, often followed by abdominal cramps and frequent, watery diarrhea. Kids may also have a cough and runny nose. As with all viruses, though, some rotavirus infections cause few or no symptoms, especially in adults.
Sometimes the diarrhea that accompanies a rotavirus infection is so severe that it can quickly lead to dehydration.
Signs of dehydration include:
- thirst
- irritability
- restlessness
- lethargy
- sunken eyes
- a dry mouth and tongue
- dry skin
- fewer trips to the bathroom to urinate, and (in infants) a dry diaper for several hours.
Fast Facts:
Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe, dehydrating diarrhea among children worldwide. Each year it causes:
- About 111 million cases of disease requiring home care only
- 25 million clinic visits
- 2 million hospitalizations
- more than 500,000 deaths in children aged five or younger
Transmission A person with rotavirus diarrhea often excretes large amounts of virus, which can spread readily through contaminated hands. Rotavirus, a hearty virus that survives easily in the environment, can also be transmitted through contaminated objects, air, water, or food.
Treatment
Neither antibiotics nor other drugs can cure rotavirus.
The only treatment consists of preventing dehydration by providing fluids and salts until the disease runs its course. In the most serious cases, frequent vomiting makes oral rehydration ineffective.
Children who cannot keep down fluids urgently need intravenous fluids, or they risk dying from dehydration.
Rotarix - A two-dose, orally-administered vaccine that offers protection against rotavirus to infants. Rotarix is indicated for the active immunisation of infants from the age of 6 weeks for prevention of gastro-enteritis due to rotavirus infection. Rotarix is made available by GlaxoSmithKline.
An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.
Preventing serious disease in the first place is the best way to protect children in poor countries.
Source: http://www.rotavirusvaccine.org/rotavirus-facts.htm
