The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has issued a warning to parents of children under the age of five to be on the lookout for symptoms of Rotavirus.
The institute has noted a sharp increase of Rotavirus cases in Pretoria, with one fatality reported so far.
Rotavirus is a common childhood diarrhoeal infection.
Some of the symptoms include the sudden onset of vomiting followed by watery diarrhoea, which may result in life-threatening dehydration.
“Rotavirus diarrhoea is very common, most children will have an infection by two years of age, and it is specifically bad because children experience a sort of profuse watery diarrhoea, and the biggest danger with this is that they dehydrate and the dehydration can be deadly. So, we just wanted to notify the public to please be aware that it is Rotavirus season. No child should be dying of diarrhoea, and if parents take note of the signs of dehydration, they can either increase the fluid intake, or they can get them to a clinic or hospital immediately,” says Principal Medical Scientist at the NICD Professor Nicola Page.
Our surveillance indicates that the 2026 rotavirus season is underway, with a sharp increase in rotavirus cases reported in Pretoria. We encourage parents and caregivers to ensure that their children are vaccinated against rotavirus & to continue breastfeeding infants. pic.twitter.com/rltojzngxu
— NICD (@nicd_sa) August 31, 2026
