NAGPUR: Almost 14% of the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) (below the age of 5 years) in the country is due to diarrhea. But the central government’s initiative to launch the Rota Virus Vaccination (ROTAVAC) for diarrhea last year is step towards combating this mortality.
“Launched in March 2016 the ROTAVAC is being introduced in the country in phases. It was launched initially in Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha and is expected to cover Maharashtra in six months or so. It is expected to minimize the over 1 lakh deaths that occur due to diarrhea every year,” said Dr Uday Bodhankar, senior paediatrician and president of Commonwealth Association for Health and Disability (COMHAD).
