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Recent News About Rotavirus
Health experts raise alarm over rotavirus By Sheila Crisostomo The Philippine Star 10/15/2005
(Article from http://www.newsflash.org/2004/02/hl/hl103016.htm)
Health experts raised the alarm yesterday over the rotavirus, the primary cause of diarrhea-related infections among Filipino children.
Dr. Estrella Paje-Villar, president of the Philippine Pediatric Society, said of the 14,500 deaths related to childhood diarrhea, around 3,700 cases are caused by rotavirus.
"In the Philippines, rotavirus is the leading cause of morbidity among Filipino children and the fifth leading cause of infant mortality. Up to about 65 percent of children hospitalized with acute diarrhea may be due to rotavirus," she said in a press conference.
Rotavirus causes intestinal viral infection that results in fever, vomiting and severe diarrhea, which could be fatal. It is transmitted mainly by the fecal-oral route, through the ingestion of contaminated water or food and contact with contaminated surfaces.
Dr. Joseph Bresee of the Viral Gastroenteritis Section of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said 21 percent of childhood diarrhea-related deaths worldwide are caused by rotavirus.
Bresee added that every year, rotavirus causes 350,000 to 600,000 deaths, 85 percent of which occur in low-income countries.
The impact of the rotavirus on the economy is enormous, he said. In the United States alone, the direct cost of rotavirus infections has been estimated at $400 million annually.
Bresee warned that rotavirus-related diarrhea "is not effectively prevented" by improving sanitation and hygiene — the virus is stable in the environment.
The primary means of preventing rotavirus infection is through vaccination, but vaccines are not yet available in the Philippines. Such vaccines are expected to be expensive when they do appear on the local market.
Dr. Lulu Bravo, head of the Infectious and Tropical Diseases unit of the University of the Philippines’ Department of Pediatrics, said there is no treatment for rotavirus infection.
"What is available is only symptom relief to help replenish lost fluids for babies suffering from diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, mainly through oral rehydration therapy," she said.
Villar said rotavirus infection is "highly contagious" since rotavirus "can survive in the environment for a long time. Washing alone cannot prevent rotavirus infection and even a small amount of rotavirus particle is enough to infect a child."
Children aged six months to two years are more vulnerable to rotavirus. It is common in the Philippines during the cold season.
Villar said the first infection is usually the most severe, while subsequent infections become progressively moderate.
Aside from vaccination, the incidence of rotavirus infection can be minimized by disinfecting play areas and breastfeeding, which boosts an infant’s immunity.
"Parents should not wait until their children are on the verge of severe dehydration before they take the disease seriously. We have to stop the horrible reality of children all over the world dying every minute," Villar said.