A new vaccine will be introduced to the National Immunization Calendar, starting July. It is an inoculation against the rotavirus infection with the vaccine Rotarix, produced by a Belgian company. The Center for Public Health in Chisinau received 5000 doses for the immunization of children against the rotavirus infections, reports Info-Prim Neo, citing a press release from the Center. The rotavirus causes diarrhea in babies and little children. The World Health Organization estimated that the rotavirus kills 453,000 babies in developing countries and causes over 2 million hospitalizations in the whole world. The rotavirus is contagious and is easily transmitted from infected children to healthy children. The methods to prevent rotavirus infections include breastfeeding, the quality of water and food, maintaining proper sanitary and hygienic conditions. Still, these are not sufficient. The best defense against the rotavirus is immunization. The inoculation is done by administrating two liquid Rotarix doses orally. Children aged between 2 months and 3.5 months (15 weeks) can take their first dose. The second dose is taken by children at 4 months, alongside other vaccines, but not later than 7 months (32 weeks). According to the Public Health Center, the vaccine is registered in 116 countries and is recommended by the World Health Organization for global immunization. In the EU, it was approved in February 2006. By 2007, 17 countries, including Luxembourg, Austria, Belgium and Finland, had added it to their national immunization calendars.