With the early arrival of winter, many young children have become victims of viruses that become active in the cool weather.

More than 800 children per day have been treated at Beijing Children's Hospital for frequent diarrhoea since the weekend, Wei Xinmiao, an official with the clinic at the hospital said. Children have accounted for one third of the patients at the departments of internal medicine.

Wei said the diarrhoea was caused by the rotavirus, a common virus that usually brakes out in early winter and mostly affects children aged three and under.

The children infected with this virus usually defecated as much as 20 times a day, said the official. Other symptoms included fever, cough and sometimes a running nose.

The experts warned that babies who display the above symptoms should visit a doctor as soon as possible.

"Babies can easily get infected by contagion as well as through the respiratory tract channel... but adults, mainly the sick's parents, seldom get infected with the disease even though they have close contact with their sick babies," Wei said.

They explained the virus is not new but the sudden drop of temperatures and early arrival of winter this year have made the virus more active.

Fortunately, an effective vaccine has been available for several years, but it is not yet popular across China. Babies should be vaccinated two or three months ahead of the virus outbreak, Wei said.

Babies who contract the disease cannot get immunity for the rest of their life, she said.

Experts also advised parents to feed their sick babies with millet gruel with a small amount of sugar or salt.

(People's Daily November 13, 2003)