By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

The Ministry of Health for the Government of Samoa is reporting a diarrhea outbreak. Hospital surveillance in the past two weeks noted an increase in the number of diarrhea cases being reported and admitted to the hospital.

Image/CDC

As of 22 July 2021, 31 rotavirus cases have been confirmed by laboratory testing.

Further testing, investigations and contact tracing are ongoing to trace the source of the transmission and people affected.

Rotavirus disease is most common in infants and young children, but adults and older children can also become infected with rotavirus.

It is responsible for the death of over 600,000 children annually worldwide. Once a person has been exposed to rotavirus, it takes about 2 days for symptoms to appear.

Rotavirus is shed (passed from a person’s body into the environment) in feces (stool) of infected persons. The virus spreads by the fecal-oral route; this means that the virus must be shed by an infected person and then enter a susceptible person’s mouth to cause infection.

Rotavirus vaccination is the best way to protect children against rotavirus disease. The vaccines are very effective at preventing severe rotavirus disease in infants and young children.