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PATHKey Facts About Rotavirus Disease and Vaccines
Recent studies demonstrate that crucial gaps exist in the awareness of rotavirus disease among public health providers in developing countries. Yet this missing information is key to designing effective rotavirus control strategies. Here is a summary of the most important facts about rotavirus disease and vaccines.


"The discovery that sodium transport and glucose transport are coupled in the small intestine so that glucose accelerates absorption of solute and water (is) potentially the most important medical advance this century."

"...the most important medical advance this century"  The Lancet

British Scientific Journal. 5th August, 1978



The scientific rationale for ORT, and for continued feeding during diarrhoea, has been established beyond doubt. The challenge now is to place that knowledge in the hands of parents so that they themselves can protect their children against the dehydration and malnutrition caused by childhood's most common disease.
What do experts say about ORT?

"The discovery of oral rehydration therapy is as important as the discovery of penicillin." Professor Mamdouh Gabr - Cairo University, Faulty of Medicine
"We believe that, ultimately, widespread adoption of ORT in developing countries will break the vicious cycle of diarrhoea, malnutrition, and death - especially for the principal victims : very young children." Dr. W B Greennough, Director, International Centre of Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh.
"ORT can rightly be called the medical miracle of this century .... For peoples in Asia, Africa and Latin American, ORT holds the promise of healthier childhoods and more productive adult lives." Shamsul Hag. Minister for Health and Population Control, Government of Bangladesh.
"Today the high success rate and low cost of ORT makes it the preferred treatment for mildly or moderately dehydrated children. According to current American Academy of Pediatrics practice guidelines, ORT is as effective as IV therapy for treatment of mild to moderate dehydration." Mayo Clinic
"A significant development in recent years has been the demonstration that dehydration from diarrhoea of any etiology can be treated using a simple glucose-electrolyte solution given by mouth." Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics
12th Edition 1983
"Nearly 90% of mortality from diarrhoea is due to fluid loss. Accurate and timely replacement of that loss is lifesaving." Dr. Norbert Hirschlorn - Nutrition Reviews Volume 40, page 87, 1982


References

World Health Organization - Child Health and Development

Johns Hopkins Health Information

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS)

Others

updated: 23 August, 2019