The incidence of rare infections that can be severe in children is declining, except in one region.

Video above from January 6, 2026: The US is cutting the number of recommended vaccinations for each child, drawing sharp criticism from doctors.

(NEXSTAR) – After a sharp rise in early April, the number of positive tests for a rare but contagious and potentially severe gastrointestinal infection, especially among children, has been steadily declining across the country. However, one region is seeing a further increase in positive tests.

According to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, rotavirus infection was once a fairly common illness, affecting almost every young child. Each year in the United States, 55,000 to 70,000 children were hospitalized due to rotavirus. With the advent of vaccines against this infection, this figure has dropped to 11,000 to 14,000 hospitalizations per year.

What is rotavirus?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, it's a contagious stomach and intestinal infection that primarily affects children. Rotavirus spreads through contact with an infected person's feces, specifically when a child touches their mouth after being infected.

Within a few days, an infected person may develop high fever, diarrhea, and vomiting, which can be "recurrent and severe." Symptoms can persist for up to a week.

Rotavirus and a number of unknown 29-nm virion particles. (Photo: BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Rotavirus infection can lead to dehydration, which may require hospitalization. The Cleveland Clinic warns that there is no cure for this infection.

As explained by the healthcare system, the most severe course of the disease can be observed in unvaccinated children aged 3 months to 3 years.

What you need to know about the rotavirus vaccine

Like other vaccines, the rotavirus vaccine can prevent a child from becoming infected or reduce symptoms if they become infected, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

The first vaccine appeared in the late 1990s but was soon discontinued after it was found to cause a rare intestinal obstruction in some patients. This vaccine, RotaShield, is no longer available in the United States. New vaccines appeared in 2006 and 2008, and the rotavirus vaccine returned to the childhood immunization schedule in the United States.

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Currently, two vaccines are available in the United States, administered as oral drops. RotaTeq is administered in three doses at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. Rotarix is administered in two doses at 2 and 4 months of age.

Although the Trump administration has changed its rotavirus vaccination recommendations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently states that the vaccine "is the best way to protect your child from rotavirus infection.".

Where the number of positive rotavirus tests is declining, and where it is not

Testing data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) starting in 2023 shows that the number of positive rotavirus tests begins to rise in the winter, peaking in early to mid-April, and then declines throughout the summer and fall.

This season, this has been confirmed. From September to December, approximately 1 percent of rotavirus tests performed in the United States each week were positive. This rate began to rise around Christmas, reaching 2.68 percent positive by the end of January.

In early April, the national test positivity rate jumped sharply to 7.25 percent. By comparison, the rate was 5.34 percent in the same period in 2025 and 7.45 percent in 2024.

These states are seeing the highest tick activity in nearly a decade: data.

The rate of positive test results fell below 6 percent in the week ending May 2, according to the latest available data.

The rates declined even further in all regions except one: the West. In early April, approximately 4.51% of rotavirus tests were positive, down from a peak of 6.78% in late March. By early May, the percentage of positive results had jumped to almost 91%.

The table below compares test positivity rates and the number of tests performed in four regions used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Since rotavirus infection lasts about a week, it's likely that those who tested positive for rotavirus in early May no longer feel ill, which could make it difficult to determine the regions most affected by rotavirus at this time. It's also possible that not all those infected will be tested for rotavirus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also notes that even if your child has been vaccinated or has previously had rotavirus, they can become infected more than once. In addition to vaccination, health officials recommend practicing good hygiene and handwashing to prevent the spread of rotavirus.

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