Waging the war against rotavirus

MANILA, Philippines - The bravest soldier will lose hope of winning if sent to war without ammunitions.

Similarly, even the most careful of parents may not triumph against rotavirus — the number one cause of children’s death due to diarrhea — if they do not arm their children against it.

This is because what is commonly misconstrued as mere “suka’t tae” can actually be caused by rotavirus — one of the biggest health threats for children and enemies of parents to date. What is surprising about this health enemy is that children who come from marginalized families are not the only ones who have a high probability of infection — debunking the common misconception that rotavirus diarrhea is a poor man’s disease. Health specialists actually showed that improvements in hygiene and sanitation, common in more economically progressive groups, failed in reducing the spread of the disease.

Rotavirus sets its target on young children between the age of 0 and five, regardless of race or socio-economic standing. Not choosing who or when to attack, rotavirus can make infants and young children suffer from severe diarrhea, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and metabolic acidosis.

Because of its non-discriminating nature, rotavirus has been dubbed by health experts as a democratic disease, causing the death of more than 600,000 children both in developed and developing countries. This is illustrated by the fact that virtually everyone in the world is infected by rotavirus disease by five years of age, despite differences in sanitation practices among countries.

Rotavirus infection may lead to lasting side effects among young sufferers. Early childhood diarrhea is associated with stunted physical growth, impaired cognition, and physical fitness impairment. This is because major growth and formation occur during the first two years of life.

In the war against Rotavirus diarrhea, there can’t be anything more potent than getting to know your enemy and attacking it where it is weakest. As front liners in championing children’s health, parents should arm themselves with the most powerful defense against this smart enemy — and that is to get protected through vaccination.