Experts call for vaccine to fight severe diarrhea

Experts call for vaccine to fight severe diarrhea
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Pediatricians are urging governmentsin Asia to bolster national immunization programs with vaccinesagainst the rotavirus, the most common cause of severe diarrheain young children.
Rotavirus kills about 611,000 children worldwide a year, ora child every minute. Africa and Asia account for 90 percent ofthese deaths, with more than 180,000 occurring in Asia.
Experts said the high costs of rotavirus vaccines (US$50for each of 3 doses) should not be an obstacle.
"In Mexico and Chile, they decided it would be costeffective (to have all children vaccinated against rotavirus)and data show a decrease in mortality and morbidity," said UsaThisyakorn, president of the Pediatric Society in Thailand.
The World Health Organization said it recommended theinclusion of rotavirus vaccination into national immunizationprograms in places where its efficacy has been proven, but itgave a word of caution.
"To date, the clinical efficacy of rotavirus vaccines hasbeen demonstrated mainly in the United States, Europe and LatinAmerica. Experience with several other oral vaccines hasdemonstrated that in terms of vaccine safety and efficacy,considerable regional differences may exist," it said.
"Clinical trials are currently ongoing in Africa and Asia,where rotavirus disease burden is very high and where the needfor more data on vaccine efficacy is particularly urgent."
The Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI) hasfunded the use of rotavirus vaccines in some countries inEurope and Latin America with a gross national income of underUS$1,000 per capita.
"To further expand new vaccine use in other countries suchas Philippines not currently covered by GAVI, other donors andfoundations should also come forward," the WHO said.
GAVI is backed by governments and the private sector.
INFANTS MOST AT RISK
Rotavirus affects nearly all children before they turn 5and 70 percent are 11 months old or younger. Highly contagious,it can survive in the environment for hours on hands, and fordays on solid surfaces. Excreted in stools, it is transmittedorally person-to-person very easily via toys and other objects.
Between 25 percent and 60 percent of diarrhea patients inAsia who end up in hospital suffer from rotavirus.
Without proper fluid replacement, a child can be dehydratedwithin 24 hours and develop serious complications such aselectrolyte imbalance, organ failure, shock, and even die.
"For an infant, any loss of fluid that is more than 10percent of body weight is crucial, and at 15 percent it can gointo organ failure," said Lulu Bravo, pediatric professor andexecutive director of the National Institute of Health at theUniversity of the Philippines.
One way to counter diarrhea is to replace water loss withoral rehydration fluids. But that is difficult becauserotavirus causes vomiting, making it difficult for anyone tohold down water, let alone an infant or young child.
(Editing by Jeremy Laurence)