Rotavirus responsible for almost 50% of diarrhoea in children —NPHCDA

Rotavirus is responsible for almost 50 per cent of diarrhoea cases in children in Nigeria.

The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib said, the virus is quite common in the country.

He urged parents to take their children for vaccination against the rotavirus now that the vaccine is available in the country.

“The rotavirus, is a common diarrhoea-causing virus responsible for the death of about 50,000 children under five in Nigeria.

“The virus can be picked up from surfaces, food, and water,” the NPHCDA boss said.

He noted that it is most common in children aged between three months to 35 months which is within the time they begin to play around and touch surfaces that might be contaminated, adding that once they touch a surface that has the virus, they can put it in their mouth thus get infected.

However, after about two days after getting infected, the child will start having a fever, and start vomiting. Thereafter, they can start experiencing diarrhoea.

He stated further that some of the manifestations of rotavirus in children are dehydration, weakness, crying without tears, and dry lips.

The NPHCDA boss noted that the introduction of the vaccine is a big deal as it would aid in the reduction of deaths arising from the virus.

Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe, dehydrating diarrhoea in children under the age of five. Rotaviruses are double-stranded RNA viruses of the genus Reoviridae, according to the World Health Organisation.

The vaccine is to be administered to children at 6, 10, and 14 weeks and according to the Nigerian Chief of Health, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, Dr. Eduardo Celades, the vaccine can be administered to children below the age of one.

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