Rotavirus vaccination drive begins next Sunday

AMMAN — The Health Ministry on Wednesday said it will begin immunising children against the rotavirus on Sunday after its inclusion in the national vaccination programme.

Citing a study that found the virus responsible for around 45 per cent of diarrhoea cases admitted to hospitals in the country every year, Mohammad Abdullat, director of the Health Ministry’s communicable diseases directorate, said the immunisation targets infants aged 61 days who are residing in Jordan regardless of their nationality.

In remarks to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Abdullat said he expects the vaccination to benefit 250,000 children annually.

The three-dose vaccine will be administered at the ministry’s healthcare centres, UNRWA clinics, centres affiliated with the Royal Medical Services and university hospitals.

Each dose is a month apart, according to Petra.

“Rotaviruses are a leading cause of severe diarrhoeal disease and dehydration in infants and young children throughout the world,” the World Health Organisation (WHO) says on its website. 

Its “symptomatic episodes” are most common among young children between the ages of three months and two years. 

“The virus spreads rapidly, presumably through person-to-person contact, airborne droplets, or possibly contact with contaminated toys,” WHO adds.

The organisation recommends including the rotavirus vaccine for infants in all national immunisation programmes.

“According to WHO 2008 estimates, about 450,000 children aged [under five years] die each year from vaccine-preventable rotavirus infections; the vast majority of these children live in low-income countries.”

Health experts have often called for adding the vaccine to the national programme, but officials had cited cost as a major hindrance.

The vaccine will cost JD3 million from the national programme’s JD14 million budget, Petra quoted Abdullat as saying.

Rotavirus infection symptoms include “projectile vomiting and very watery diarrhoea, often with fever and abdominal pain”, according to WHO. The virus could lead to severe dehydration and — in some cases — death.