गैस्ट्रोइंटेस्टाइनल और पाचन तंत्र

अमूर्त

Pakistan’s Stance Against Rotavirus-Need for Awareness

Nouman Mansoor Ali and Syed Uzair Mahmood*

Rotavirus is a double stranded RNA virus classified on the basis of VP6 protein and its subgroups are classified on the basis of VP4 and VP7.It is the pathogen responsible for diarrhea and in severe cases mortality of children under the age of 5. Rotavirus is a enteric pathogen infecting mainly small intestine and as it can only be treated symptomatically its infection is handled by body’s immune system. The mortality rate in Pakistan due to diarrhea and acute respiratory infections in extremely high (1 child per minute) and even mega city like Karachi cannot safeguard its population from rotavirus in its water supply. Vaccination is the best preventive method for rotavirus. To cope with these problems government has taken an initiative by including rotavirus vaccine in its EPI program all over the country in 2017 and 2018, and is hopeful that this step would be fruitful in reducing child mortality rate in Pakistan.