No requirement to include rotavirus vaccine in national immunisation

The rotavirus vaccine will be included in the National Immunisation Programme (NIP) if the mortality rate due to the disease for children aged five years and below exceeds 10 percent.

Director-general of Health, Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the World Health Organisation (WHO) through its Strategic Advisory Group of Experts had recommended that the rotavirus vaccine be included in the NIP if the child mortality rate due to diarrhoea was at 10 percent or more.

"In this country, the child mortality rate in 2014 was 0.5 percent and 2.9 per cent last year. This rate is below the recommended percentage by the WHO," he told Bernama.

As such, Dr Noor Hisham said as part of precautionary measures, the rotavirus vaccine could be obtained at private clinics and hospitals.

Consultant Paediatric at Pantai Hospital, Ampang, Dr R. Thanasegar said it would usually take two days for the symptoms of the disease such as high fever, diarrhea and persistent abdominal pain to occur.

There were five species of rotavirus and the rotavirus A type was a major cause of the disease among children and the first infection could build up immunity to that specific virus.

"Almost every child aged five years and below may have experienced this viral infection which can be detected through tests carried out on stool samples of patients," he said.

Thanasegar said to prevent the virus from spreading, the public should prioritise personal hygiene and the surrounding, especially children's toys and during food preparation.

"There is no specific treatment to kill the virus, but what is important is to ensure that patients have adequate water content in the body to prevent dehydration (through vomiting and severe diarrhea).

"In this country, the Rotavirus is the most common cause of diarrhea which requires children to receive the transfusion of water treatment through their intravenous at hospitals," he added. -- BERNAMA