Merck & Co Inc. (MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, introduced in Rwanda of Africa's first national rotavirus vaccination program with its ROTATEQ vaccine for the prevention of rotavirus disease. Beginning today, the first infants would receive ROTATEQ at a health center in Musanze District, Northern Province, Rwanda. Following the initial launch, ROTATEQ would be routinely administered to all infants in Rwanda as part of its national vaccination program. In 2012, the Government of Rwanda Ministry of Health expects over 100,000 children to receive the vaccine.
Around 22 percent of all Rwandan children age 6 - 11 months and 25 percent of children age 12 - 23 months suffer from diarrheal infections. Samples tested from October 2010 to March 2012 demonstrated that about half of the infections were caused by rotavirus. Additionally, Merck has teamed up with PATH and other organizations for the better understanding of the safety and efficacy of ROTATEQ in Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya, Mali and Vietnam.
ROTATEQ or rotavirus vaccine, live, oral, pentavalent is indicated for the prevention of rotavirus gastroenteritis in infants and children caused by the serotypes G1, G2, G3 and G4 when administered as a three-dose series to infants between the ages of 6 to 32 weeks.
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