Background
Rotavirus infection is a common cause of diarrhoea in infants and young children, and can cause mild illness,  hospitalization, and death. Rotavirus infections results in approximately half a million deaths per year in children aged under five years, mainly in low- and middle-income countries. Since 2009, the World Health Organization has recommended that a rotavirus vaccine be included in all national immunization programmes.

Key findings
?  In the first two years of life, monovalent rotavirus vaccine prevents more than 80% of severe cases of rotavirus diarrhoea in low-mortality countries, and at least 40% of severe rotavirus diarrhoea in high-mortality countries.
?  In the first two years of life, pentavalent rotavirus vaccine reduces severe cases of rotavirus diarrhoea by more than 80% in low-mortality countries and by 40 to 57% in
high-mortality countries.