Rotavirus cases surge across the US as vaccination rates decline
Updated
Updated · NBC Chicago · Apr 29
Rotavirus cases surge across the US as vaccination rates decline
6 articles · Updated · NBC Chicago · Apr 29
The rise has continued since January, with experts saying uptake has fallen from about 77-78% in 2018 to the low 70s.
The CDC shifted rotavirus vaccination in January to shared clinical decision-making, while Illinois kept the American Academy of Pediatrics schedule and a Chicago children's hospital reported more viral gastroenteritis cases.
Rotavirus can cause severe diarrhoea, vomiting, fever and dehydration in infants; before vaccines were introduced 20 years ago, it caused hundreds of thousands of hospitalisations annually.
Amid rising rotavirus cases and policy chaos, what is the true cost for families when childhood immunizations become a political battleground?
A court reversed the controversial vaccine changes, but can public trust in health agencies be restored before more children are hospitalized?