A sneaky culprit I hadn’t even heard of

Some diseases dominate the headlines, while others quietly wreak havoc in the background. One of those sneaky culprits is the rotavirus—a virus that causes diarrhea, and once took the lives of over half a million children each year. I had never even heard of it, and while it has gained more widespread attention now, neither has the majority of people.

Rotavirus didn’t even have a name until 1973, when Australian researcher Ruth Bishop and her team at The University of Melbourne and Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne uncovered it. Ruth had been investigating a nasty stomach bug that caused severe diarrhea and vomiting in kids. In wealthy countries, children got rehydration therapy and recovered. In poorer countries, dehydration was often fatal. It was a massive problem hiding in plain sight.

Determined to crack the case, Ruth and her team took a close look—literally—at samples under an electron microscope. And there it was: a wheel-shaped virus (hence the name rotavirus, from the Latin word for “wheel”). Ruth later described the discovery as part careful science, part lucky break.

After identifying rotavirus, Ruth became its biggest detective. She spent years studying how it spread and, more importantly, how to stop it. Her work contributed to the development of rotavirus vaccines and helped launch Gavi, the global vaccine alliance, which has made these life-saving shots available to children in the world’s poorest countries. Before the first vaccine was introduced in 2006, rotavirus claimed over 500,000 young lives annually. By 2016, that number had dropped to 128,500—a huge step forward.

But the mission to fight the virus isn’t over yet. Current vaccines are given to infants at six to eight weeks old, leaving newborns vulnerable. But thanks to years of research inspired by Ruth’s work, the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute has developed a new vaccine that can be given right after birth, offering protection even sooner.

When I first learned about rotavirus, I was floored. I’m not a virologist, but hearing about how many children were dying from a preventable disease like that made me realise I couldn’t just sit on that knowledge. I started looking for ways to support efforts that make vaccines more accessible, ensuring that all children—no matter where they live—get the protection they deserve.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a powerful reminder of how crucial vaccines and scientific research are. Ruth’s story shows us what’s possible when curiosity meets determination. Though she’s now retired, her legacy lives on in the millions of children saved and the researchers continuing her work.

Rotavirus is just one example of a disease that stayed under the radar for too long. I’ve learned that sometimes, the most dangerous problems aren’t the ones making headlines—they’re the ones that quietly devastate lives. And it’s up to us to bring them into the light and take action.