Rotavirus Program

Rotavirus gastroenteritis is a highly infectious virus causing severe diarrhoea. About 42 per cent of cases are babies under 12 months and 92 per cent of cases are children under 5 years of age.
 
The impact of rotavirus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children is much more severe. They are three to five times more likely to be hospitalised, are often hospitalised at a younger age and stay more than twice as long in hospital compared with other infants.
 
(Information from Department of Health and Ageing)
 
Immunisation Program
 
The Victorian Department of Human Services Immunisation Program has launched the oral rotavirus vaccine “Rotateq®”.
 
The oral “Rotateq®” vaccine is given as a three dose schedule at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. The funded program will commence from July 2007. All babies born from 1 May 2007 will be eligible for free rotavirus vaccine. The oral vaccine will be administered with the other scheduled vaccines given to infants at 2, 4 and 6 months of age.
 
 
Resources
 
Provider Guidelines - Rotavirus immunisation 
(New resource DoHA has produced for Rota virus)

Rotavirus fact sheet - Dept of Health and Ageing

Multilingual rotavirus fact sheets - Immunisation Program

Rotavirus fact sheet - National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance

Vaccine Order form

Rotateq® dosage dates 

Presentation Slides - Immunisation Update for GPs, by Dr Eizenberg, April 2007

Websites

Dept of Health and Ageing: Rotavirus page

Immunise Australia Program

National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance

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