Warning about 'Rotavirus Outbreak' in Tehran; Families Urged to Vaccinate Children 'Freely'

The head of Ali Asghar Children's Hospital reported a 'surge' of rotavirus cases in Tehran, with an increase in children visiting the hospital. Farhad Choobdar stated that the rotavirus epidemic is beginning and that this has been communicated to the Ministry of Health. He added that rotavirus vaccination is not 'routine' in Iran and urged families who can afford it to vaccinate their children 'freely'. In January 2019, the head of the Biological Department of the Food and Drug Administration stated that 'financial resources' are essential for the vaccine to enter the vaccination network. Ali Vashghani mentioned that Ali Khamenei approved the allocation of $100 million for the production of two vaccines, 'Pneumococcal' and 'Rotavirus', and this funding has been made available to vaccine manufacturers. In June 2021, the Pasteur Institute of Iran announced a deal with Bharat Biotech of India to transfer rotavirus vaccine production technology to Iran for domestic production. On December 1, 2022, the head of the Ministry of Health's Preventable Diseases Department announced the possibility of the vaccine entering the national vaccination program. Mohsen Zohraei stated, 'We are striving to secure funding in next year's budget for the import of these vaccines and to achieve domestic production so that it can be added to the vaccination program for children under one year old by 2023.' The vaccine has not yet reached operational status due to what experts cite as 'lack of resource allocation'. Symptoms of rotavirus infection typically begin about two days after exposure, and the resulting vomiting and diarrhea can last from three to eight days. Other symptoms may include loss of appetite and dehydration, which can be particularly dangerous for infants and young children. Signs of dehydration include reduced urination, dry mouth and throat, dizziness when standing, crying with little or no tears, and unusual drowsiness or confusion. The best way to protect against dehydration is to drink plenty of fluids and use oral rehydration solutions. The rotavirus vaccine is made from weakened strains of rotavirus from human or animal sources. Currently available vaccines include a monovalent human rotavirus vaccine and a pentavalent bovine-human rotavirus vaccine, both administered orally. The two rotavirus vaccines currently licensed for infants in the U.S. are RotaTeq, given in three doses at 2, 4, and 6 months, and Rotarix, given in two doses at 2 and 4 months. The first dose of either vaccine must be administered before the child is 15 weeks old, and all doses must be received before the child is 8 months old. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that before the vaccine was introduced, nearly all American children had been infected with rotavirus by the age of five. Each year, among American children under five, rotavirus leads to over 400,000 doctor visits, more than 200,000 emergency room visits, and 55,000 to 70,000 hospitalizations, resulting in 20 to 60 deaths. According to this health agency's statistics, the rotavirus vaccine prevents 40,000 to 50,000 hospitalizations among American infants and young children each year. The World Health Organization recommends that rotavirus vaccines should be included in all national immunization programs, especially prioritized in countries in South and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. This international body recommends that the first dose of the rotavirus vaccine be administered as soon as possible after six weeks of age.