Latin America: Rotavirus vaccine effective

ATLANTA, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Fourteen of the 32 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean make the rotavirus vaccine available for all infants via national programs, U.S. officials say.

A report published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report said about 7 million infants, 66 percent of the infants born in Latin America and the Caribbean, were immunized in 2010 against rotavirus infection -- the most common cause of severe diarrhea among infants and young children, and one of several viruses that cause infections often called stomach flu.

As a result of the immunization program, there was a substantial decline in hospitalization and death from diarrhea in this region, the report said.

"Two effective rotavirus vaccines are now available for protecting children against rotavirus infection and the World Health Organization recommends these vaccines for all infants worldwide," the report said. "Studies from countries in this region have shown declines in the burden of hospitalizations and deaths related to severe diarrhea after rotavirus vaccine introduction."