ALL Scottish babies born from tomorrow are to be offered a vaccination against rotavirus.
The virus causes severe diarrhoea and vomiting in infants and can lead to hospital treatment.
It is highly contagious and can affect 140,000 infants in the UK every year, according to Government statistics.
The introduction of the vaccine follows a recommendation of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. It will be part of the existing childhood immunisation programme mainly given in doctor's surgeries.
A two-dose vaccine will be offered to all babies aged two months, and again at three months when they attend for their first and second routine childhood immunisations.
Scottish Government officials said it is not a new vaccine and has been used extensively with millions of doses given to babies in other countries. In the US it is claimed rotavirus-related hospital admissions have fallen by as much as 86% due to the vaccine.
Public Health Minister Michael Matheson said: "The vaccine will not only protect tens of thousands of children from the effects of rotavirus every year, it will cut down on costly hospital admissions and the anxiety of hospital stays for parents and children."
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