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  Rotavirus takes toll on young children: Max Bojorje Aguilar, 15-months, has been hospitalized for two days with severe diarrhea. Like Max, 75,000 children are hospitalized annually in Latin America because of rotavirus.

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  Overseeing rotavirus vaccine distribution: Dr. Lionel Palacio is the Chief Pediatrician in Managua's La Mascota Hospital in Nicaragua. Since the hospital began administering the rotavirus vaccine in 2006, his team has administered more than 695 doses. Nearly 20,000 doses have been distributed nationally.

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  Making rotavirus vaccines a part of healthcare: For the past 15 years, Nurse Sayda Rosa Hernandez has been administering vaccines in a rural clinic in Pantasma, Nicaragua, near the Honduran border. In October of 2006, she started administering rotavirus vaccines, as instructed by the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health.

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  Rotavirus vaccine's dramatic turnaround time: A baby in Pantasma, Nicaragua gets her first dose of rotavirus vaccine. The rotavirus vaccine was the first of its kind to be introduced in developing countries the same year it was introduced in developed countries. This marked a dramatic improvement over the traditional 10- to 20-year delays.

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  Getting the vaccine to Nicaragua's children: In Pantasma, Nicaragua, mothers wait in line for up to four hours with their vaccination cards. More than 80 percent of children in Nicaragua have been vaccinated against this life-threatening gastrointestinal disease.

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  WHO recommends vaccine inclusion: Francis Perez Mejia receives her third and final dose of the rotavirus vaccine. In May 2009, the World Health Organization recommended rotavirus vaccinations be included in all national immunization programs.

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  Another Child Vaccinated: Eight-month old Marbeli de Los Angeles Menas Lopez was vaccinated against rotavirus.

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  Keeping vigilant against outbreaks: Celia del Carmen Mejia walks her children home after their visit to the Pantasma, Nicaragua clinic. Since the implementation of the rotavirus vaccine in 2006, no major outbreaks have been reported in Nicaragua.

Gallery: In Nicaragua, Protecting Children From Rotavirus, One Vaccine at a Time

Protecting Against Rotavirus

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In Nicaragua, Protecting Children From Rotavirus, One Vaccine at a Time  

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