Rotavirus diarrhoea and future prospects for prevention

Rotavirus is a highly contagious cause of vomiting and diarrhoea in young children (Glass et al, 2006). It is transmitted via the faecal-oral route and almost every child will experience an episode of rotavirus infection before the age of five years. Although this infection leads to millions of deaths per year in developing countries, good access to dehydration therapies in the UK means that we experience few rotavirus deaths. Nevertheless, rotavirus infection can cause misery for the child and presents indirect costs for parents. It also poses a substantial burden on primary care and paediatric wards, particularly during the busy winter period, with nosocomial infection adding, on average, a further four days to a child's stay in hospital. With no antiviral treatment available, management of the poorly child must focus on prevention of dehydration. Recently, two new generation rotavirus vaccines have been licensed with each undergoing extensive and large clinical trials. These vaccines offer new hope for the prevention of this condition.