Rotavirus

Diarrhea is one of the leading causes of death among children globally. Rotavirus—the leading cause of severe childhood diarrhea—is found everywhere; however, children in communities with limited access to healthcare are most at risk.

In fact, over 95% of rotavirus deaths are in low-income countries in Africa and Asia. The best way to protect children from this disease is through immunization.

Two oral vaccines are available and effective at preventing rotavirus. Prevention is most effective when rotavirus vaccines are included in national immunization programs as part of a comprehensive strategy to control diarrheal diseases by scaling up both prevention and treatment.

By the end of 2021, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance had supported the introduction of the rotavirus vaccine in 53 countries, leading to the immunization of more than 200 million children.

Ultimately, increasing access to rotavirus vaccines in developing countries can prevent more than 2.4 million deaths by 2030 (as per Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance).

Since the launch of the campaign, Shot@Life has raised enough money for Gavi to provide the equivalent of 206,000 rotavirus vaccines to children in low-income countries.

This comes in addition to our advocacy efforts to ensure the U.S. government continues to support funding for health systems strengthening and additional global immunization programs.