@article{4741e6de8b5b44fcbf02011125f4f07a,
title = "Report of the 7th African Rotavirus Symposium, Cape Town, South Africa, 8th November 2012",
abstract = "The 7th African Rotavirus Symposium was held in Cape Town, South Africa, on the 8th November 2012 as a Satellite Symposium at the First International African Vaccinology Conference. Over 150 delegates participated in this symposium including scientists, clinicians, health officials, policymakers and vaccine manufacturers from across Africa. Key topics discussed included rotavirus surveillance, rotavirus vaccine introduction, post rotavirus vaccine impact analysis and intussusception data and surveillance in Africa. The symposium provided early rotavirus vaccine adopter countries in Africa (South Africa, Ghana and Botswana) an opportunity to share up-to-date information on vaccine introduction, and allowed colleagues to share experiences in establishing routine rotavirus surveillance (Tanzania, Niger and Rwanda). Overall, the symposium highlighted the high burden of rotavirus in Africa, and the need to continue to strengthen efforts in preventing rotavirus diarrhoea in Africa.",
keywords = "Clinical trials, Epidemiology, Intussusception, Post marketing, Rotavirus in Africa, Vaccine",
author = "Seheri, {L. M.} and Mwenda, {J. M.} and N. Page",
note = "Funding Information: We thank all the speakers and participants of the 7th African Rotavirus Symposium. The successful hosting of the 7th African Rotavirus Symposium in 2012 was made possible through financial assistance from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, World Health Organization African Regional Office (WHO AFRO), First International African Vaccinology Conference, South African Medical Research Council and the University of Limpopo (Medunsa Campus)/National Health Laboratory Service. Funding Information: Dr Roma Chilengi presented a paper on the acceleration of rotavirus vaccine access in Zambia through public–private partnerships. With extensive health system challenges in Zambia, including a large diarrhoeal disease burden (63,000 hospitalization and 15,000 deaths annually with a quarter to a third attributed to rotavirus) and limited medical doctors and nurses, the country is heavily dependent on untrained volunteers. The Programme for Awareness and Elimination of Diarrhoeal Disease (PAEDD) was established as a collaborative partnership between the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ), Absolute Return for Kids (ARK) and the Zambian Ministry of Health that provides targeted preventative and treatment interventions for diarrhoea in one province of Zambia (Lusaka, Kafue and Chongwe Districts). These interventions include primary prevention to reduce transmission (rotavirus and childhood vaccines, hand washing, improved drinking water supply and community-wide sanitation), secondary prevention to reduce severity (promote breast feeding, early and appropriate treatment, zinc and vitamin A supplementation) and treatment of cases (ORS and zinc, parenteral therapy and continued feeding). The project has received a donation of 187,205 doses of the monovalent vaccine, allowing vaccination of children in one province for 1 year and funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to monitor the impact of the PAEDD programme. The success of the PAEDD programme is due to the strategic positioning of the programme within the Ministry of Health, ability to contribute to national policy and advice on inclusion of new vaccines, strengthening of cold chain capacity and the strengthening of human resource capacity [25] . Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2014.",
year = "2014",
month = nov,
day = "12",
doi = "10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.05.002",
language = "English",
volume = "32",
pages = "6336--6341",
journal = "Vaccine",
issn = "0264-410X",
publisher = "Elsevier BV",
number = "48",
}