Rotavirology Forum

Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe childhood diarrhoea in developed and developing countries worldwide. Virtually all children could be infected before their fifth birthdays. It is estimated that each year rotavirus infections are responsible for approximately 2 million hospitalizations in children <5 years old worldwide. The World Health Organization estimated that in 2002, over 400,000 deaths due to rotavirus in children <5 years old were preventable by vaccination. Thus universal childhood immunization with rotavirus vaccine is expected to substantially reduce the mortality and morbidity due to rotavirus infections in immunocompetent children.