Health Ministry declares Rotavirus outbreak in Samoa

The Ministry of Health has officially declared the outbreak of the deadly Rotavirus disease in Samoa.

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

Hospital surveillance in the past two weeks noted an increase in the number of diarrhoea cases being reported and admitted to the hospital.

The diarrhoeal virus upsets the stomach or the bowels or both, causing severe diarrhoea and weakness and may lead to severe dehydration and eventually death if not managed quickly.

Rotavirus is the most common of diarrheal disease in children under the age of 5 years worldwide.

The increase in cases being reported to the Ministry of Health is now beyond the usual threshold of diarrhoea cases reported on a yearly basis as per surveillance monitoring.

Most of the cases are reported to reside in location in Apia Urban Area and North West Upolu Area.

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

Rotavirus is very contagious and spreads easily among children and babies. The spread is by faecal oral route (or hand to mouth) transmission and hence encouraged by poor personal hygiene, sanitation and contaminated water supply.

The Rotavirus spreads by faeces of the infected person / child is passed to other persons / child. This can be through direct contact from hand to mouth from contaminated clothing, bedding, food, drinks, water, eating utensils, toys and any contaminated surfaces.

Signs and symptoms of Rotavirus infection include severe diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain and fever - These symptoms may last five to seven days.

Dehydration is a serious complication of diarrhoea where the body is depleted of most of its water.

Symptoms include dry skin, dry mouth, lack of tears, lack of energy and responsiveness, not passing urine, sunken eyes.

Dehydration needs to be recognised early and referred to the hospital as soon as possible and this can lead to prolonged hospitalisation and even death.

Home care are encouraged to continue breast feeding, giving oral fluids such as boiled water, niu, soup and oral rehydration solution to prevent dehydration with close observation.

Long term protection from the rotavirus, babies less than 6 months are given two oral vaccines of Rotarix.

The Rotavirus vaccine (Rotarix) is very effective in preventing rotavirus disease.

The first dose is given at six weeks; second dose is given at 10 weeks.

There is minimum of four weeks interval between each dose and if delayed, the two doses should be completed by six months of age.

The Ministry of Health encourages the public to practice other key prevention health measures to control the transmission of infectious diseases such as the Rotavirus by ensuring that:

Safety measures are strictly observed:

  • Wash your hands frequently with clean water and soap after using the toilet, before touching food and especially after changing diapers of such children. Use sanitizer if available.
  • Boil all drinking water for at least 3-5 minutes before drinking.
  • Cook and heat food thoroughly before eating.
  • Make sure the toilet area is kept clean and sanitary.
  • If there is no running water, use rain water.
  • Exclusively breastfeed children until at least six months of age to minimize their exposure via contaminated food and water.

For school children, if your children are ill please keep them at home until they are better and have them practice frequently hand washing when they return to school or attend public gatherings.

Seek medical attention and visit your nearest Health Care facility if you/your family have been affected.

 

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Author: 
Talaia Mika