Throughout the world, rotavirus is the single most important cause of severe diarrhea in young children. Dr. Lainie Friedman Ross from the University of Chicago provides historic relevance for the vaccine developed to treat rotavirus. In the United States, rotavirus results in 500,000 visits to the doctor, 50,000 hospitalizations and 20 deaths each year. The risk of any vaccine-related complications outweighs the burden of the disease. In developing countries, the scenario is much different. Each year, there are 111 million episodes of rotavirus, 25 million clinic visits, 2 million hospitalizations and between 400,000 and 500,000 deaths in children under age 5. Earlier this year, two new vaccines for rotavirus were approved. But in the intervening seven years, more than 3 million children died throughout the world. This bioethics conference is presented by the Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics, which is supported by Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, and the University of Washington School of Medicine. From the Series:2006 Pediatric Bioethics Conference: Ethical Issues Related to Vaccination of Children