15 March 2013 : With rotavirus infections causing about 4500 children aged under five to go to hospital each year, the Paediatric Society of New Zealand has called for funding for infant vaccinations against the disease as an urgent priority, in a newly published position statement.

“Rotavirus is a nasty, highly-infectious disease that can have a dangerous effect on infants and children,” Dr Emma Best, Chair of the Society’s Infection and Immunisation Speciality Group, said.

“In acute cases, children can have diarrhoea up to 20 times a day, causing severe dehydration, hospitalisation and in very rare cases even brain damage.”