Thursday, May 8, 2008, Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1, 1429    

Parents advised to be cautious of rotavirus

SHR Jahfery

Islamabad—Diarrhea is the second leading cause of death worldwide in children under the age of 5 years. Of this, rotavirus diarrhea is the leading cause of infant mortality.
Professor Sajid Maqbool, commented here that around 4.36 million Pakistani children under the age of 5 fall victim to a number of causes including diarrhea, malaria, respiratory diseases and measles, among others, every year. Of these, diarrheal disease remains the second most common cause of death among children under the age of 5 years.
He said that Rotavirus diarrhea is considered to be a killer diarrhea with over 600,000 infant deaths being attributable to this virus every year. Of these 25,000 occur in Pakistan alone. This figure is seen to be the highest in all of Middle-east and North Africa. Parents are advised to be aware of this deadly disease which strikes children across the world between the age of 6 months and 2 years.
He remarked that Rotavirus is a leading cause of hospitalization in children under 5 causing of severe gastroenteritis in infants and young children, leading to dehydration and even death. In countries like Pakistan where infant mortality is high, extra care must be taken to understand the severity of the disease and take appropriate measures.
Professor Sajid observed that No treatment exists for Rotavirus, however prevention is an option. In fact vaccination has been recognized as the only control measure likely to have an impact on the burden of Rotavirus. With improvement in hygiene and sanitation not protecting a child from Rotavirus diarrhea, parents should consider vaccinating their child against rotavirus diarrhea.