Fivefold rise in children struck by debilitating rotavirus

The number of children struck by a debilitating virus has risen fivefold since the start of 2015 — two years after Department of Health advisors recommended vaccinating against it.

More children have been infected with rotavirus in the first four months of this year than in the whole of 2014 or in any other year except one since it became a notifiable illness in 2004.

Figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre show that, up to last week, there were 2,585 notified cases of rotavirus compared to 2,066 for all of last year.