When it comes to your baby, I am of the mindset that the more information you have at hand, the better chance you have of making the right decision for your baby. Immunization is a highly debated topic among some. Many parents choose not to vaccinate and are trying to enact laws that make it illegal for a child to be refused private daycare because of lack of immunization. Other parents believe wholeheartedly in the power of vaccinations to protect children from potentially fatal diseases and oppose measures that would allow non-vaccinated children to be enrolled in private day care or school. Whichever camp you are in, you might want to know a little bit about the Rotavirius vaccine.
What is Rotavirus?
Rotavirus is a condition that causes diarrhea and sometimes vomiting. The symptoms are usually seen in young children, and the condition can often lead to hospitalization and even death in infants. The Rotavirus can quickly cause dehydration in a young child. Rotavirus is also highly contagious, and it tends to hang around day care.
What is the Rotavirus Vaccine?
The Rotavirus vaccine became available for infants in 2006. Infants get three doses of the vaccine in their first year of life to protect them from contracting Rotavirus. It was originally developed earlier but pulled off 1999.
Rotavius Vaccine in the News
I mentioned that the vaccine was pulled in 1999. In 2007, the FDA issued a warning on the vaccine saying that it could possibly cause and intestinal condition. (You can read Val’s blog that explains all of this ). Proponents of the vaccine believe that the occurrence of this condition may be present naturally and not be linked to the vaccine at all, and that the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh any small chance of side effects. Critics urge caution.
This month, preliminary data from the New York Department of Health shows a significant reduction in the number of childhood hospitalizations for Rotavirus, since the vaccine has been introduced for infants in 2006. The rate of reduction for Rotavirus hospitalizations? A whopping 85 percent.
Click here for more articles by Mary Ann Romans.
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