- Rotavirus, a highly contagious gastrointestinal illness, is spreading across the U.S., with high levels detected in wastewater data, particularly in California's Bay Area and the Northeast.
- The infection is most severe in infants and young children under the age of 5, causing symptoms like vomiting and watery diarrhea, and can be fatal without vaccine protection.
- Vaccines have significantly reduced rotavirus-related deaths and hospitalizations since their introduction, preventing 45,000 hospitalizations and 342,000 visits to clinics and emergency departments, according to the CDC.
- Recent changes to vaccine recommendations by the administration suggest parents should decide with their doctors about rotavirus vaccination, a departure from previous CDC guidance for all children.
- These changes, temporarily blocked in court, have drawn strong criticism from major medical groups and experts who warn they could lead to increased suffering and deaths.
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