Parents should get their children vaccinated against rotavirus, as about 98 percent of children under six have been infected with the disease, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday.
Rotavirus infections are a leading cause of vomiting and severe diarrhea in young children, the department said. It is a highly contagious virus and while many cases are mild, some can be severe.
There is no specific treatment for infection and rotavirus can be in stool for several days before the onset of symptoms and for up to 10 days after symptoms appear, it said.
Photo: Hung Chen-hung, Taipei Times
Vaccination is the best way to protect young children and doses are administered orally, it said.
Taipei residents aged 32 weeks to six who have a Children’s Medical Subsidies Certificate issued by the city government are eligible for government-funded vaccinations at 118 contracted healthcare facilities in the city, the department said.
Since the beginning of the program to February, nearly 40,000 infants in Taipei have received government-funded rotavirus vaccinations, with a coverage rate of about 75.7 percent, it said.
Taipei Department of Health official Ou Chia-ling (歐佳齡) said the department urges parents of children who are eligible to bring their children, their certificate, their Children’s Health Manual and National Health Insurance card to get vaccinated within the suggested time period after they receive a notification letter.
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