Latin American, Caribbean national rotavirus immunization campaigns show success, CDC report says

"Fourteen of the 32 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean make the rotavirus vaccine available for all infants via national programs," according to a report published Friday in the CDC's "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report," United Press International reports. Approximately "seven 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," the news agency writes. The WHO recommends rotavirus vaccination for children worldwide, the report noted, stating, "Studies from countries in this region have shown declines in the burden of hospitalizations and deaths related to severe diarrhea after rotavirus vaccine introduction," according to UPI (12/2).