Bharat Biotech’s rotavirus oral vaccine, Rotavac, has been introduced by Nigeria to immunise children against diarrhoeal disease.
The life-threatening Rotavirus infection, which affects millions of children worldwide, is the cause for death of about 50,000 children under the age of five - each year in Nigeria, the Hyderabad-based vaccine maker said on Wednesday.
“We are committed to supporting and reducing the infectious disease burden amongst children in developing world and to ensure nations like Nigeria in the African continent have access to cost-effective world-class interventions for infants and vulnerable populations. Rotavac is safe and effective at preventing diarrhoeal disease caused by the Rotavirus,” Chairman and Managing Director Krishna Ella said.
Stating that the vaccine is result of decades of research and product development, he said Rotavac is available in several countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. “We are proud to state that novel vaccines from India are saving lives worldwide,” he said.
Rotavirus is one of the leading causes of diarrhoeal disease in the world and is responsible for over 40% of diarrhoea in children. It accounts for about 2.15 lakh of the 5.25 lakh-under-5 mortality worldwide each year that are attributed to diarrhoeal diseases, making it the most common cause of severe diarrhoea, Bharat Biotech said. The company developed the first generation rotavirus vaccine, Rotavac, under a public-private partnership with the Centre’s Department of Biotechnology and 16 international partners, making it the largest ever social innovation project for public health. The vaccine received WHO-pre-qualification in January 2018.
