Himachal Pradesh became first state to launch Rotavirus vaccination project

Himachal Pradesh on 3 December 2015 became the first state of India to launch Rotavirus vaccination project.

The vaccine will help in controlling the child mortality rate (under five years of age) due to diarrhoea.

Rotavirus vaccines are administered orally to infants in three dose course at ages of six, ten and fourteen weeks and are part of Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).

Highlights of the Rotavirus Vaccination Project

• The project was launched by the state Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh at Dharamsala in Kangra district.

• Singh administered the Rotavirus drops to children aged under five years.

• International Clinical Epidemiological Network will provide technical assistance and will also bear the entire cost of the vaccines.

• The project will soon be launched in Vellore in Karnataka and Pune in Maharashtra.

What is Rotavirus?

• It is a most common causative agent of moderate-to-severe diarrhoea (MSD) among infants below 11 months age group in India.

• It is a genus of double-stranded RNA virus in the family Reoviridae.

• It spreads from person to person due to bacterial agents that are primarily transmitted through contaminated food or water.

• It infects and damages the cells that line the small intestine and causes gastroenteritis.

Now get latest Current Affairs on mobile, Download # 1  Current Affairs App