Rotavirus surges with 8516 cases reported this year
A few factors may explain the surge, says Associate Professor Vincent Ho.
Australia has chalked up the most rotavirus cases in a year since the condition became notifiable in 2010.
National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System data show 8516 cases reported so far in 2024 — 50% of them in children aged 0-4 — compared with 8446 cases in 2023.
“This year and last year’s cases are considered quite high compared to previous years with the exception of 2017 when 7266 cases were recorded,” said Associate Professor Vincent Ho, a gastroenterologist and academic at Western Sydney University.
Differing strains or diminished herd immunity due to COVID-19 lockdowns were two possible explanations, he said.
