Q: How essential is the Rotorax vaccine for a baby? Is it advisable to take this vaccine.

A:Rota virus vaccine prevents against rota virus diarrhoea, which is a cause of diarrhoea in infancy especially in winter. The vaccine is effective and would thus provide protection against one of the several causes of diarrhoea but not all. However, at this juncture the vaccine is quite expensive. It would thus be providing insurance against another risk - let us say like when one gets insurance for a car, this would be a peripheral insurance policy that one would consider, for example, for riots, earthquake or floods. If you can easily afford the vaccine, go ahead and give it as it is safe, but if you cannot, please do not lose any sleep over it.