Rotavac
- It is a vaccine used to protect against rotavirus infections
- These viruses are the leading cause of severe diarrhea among young children
- Vaccine reduces risk of death due to diarrhea
- India based Bharat Biotech produces Rotavac
- It was developed under the joint collaboration between India and United States in area of medical research
- It was developed under public-private partnership (PPP) model that involved Ministry of Science and Technology, institutions of the US Government and NGOs in India supported by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
- Why in news?
Rotavac became first Indigenously developed vaccine from India to be pre-qualified by World Health Organisation (WHO).
Rotavirus
- It is a most common causative agent of moderate-to-severe diarrhoea (MSD) among infants below 11 months age group in India.
- It spreads from person to person due to bacterial and parasiting agents that are primarily transmitted through contaminated food or water.
- It is responsible for estimated 36% of hospitalisations for childhood diarrhoea around world and for estimated 200,000 deaths in low- and middle-income countries.
- In India, diarrhoea caused by rotavirus, kills nearly 80 thousand children under age of 5 years and up to 10 lakh hospitalizations each year.