What is rotavirus?
Q: What is rotavirus?
A: Rotavirus is a virus that causes diarrhoea. It is most common in children under the age of five and can also affect animals.
Q: What are the signs of rotavirus?
A: The signs of rotavirus include severe diarrhoea and vomiting, which start suddenly and last for two or three days.
Q: How do you get rotavirus?
A: Rotaviruses enter the body through the mouth, usually from dirty hands or things used for cooking, but they can also be present in contaminated water.
Q: Can adults get rotavirus?
A: Adults usually become immune to rotaviruses by the time they are about five years old, so it is less likely for them to get infected than younger children who have not been vaccinated.
Q: How small are rotaviruses?
A: Rotaviruses are very small - much smaller than bacteria - and can only be seen using an electron microscope.
Q: How many people die from rotovirus each year?
A: More than 500,000 people die from rotovirus infection each year around the world.
Q: What help is being given to countries that cannot afford to buy vaccines against rotovirus?
A: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has provided more than 82 million US dollars between 2006 and 2011 to help pay for vaccines againstrotovirus in countries that cannot afford them.
