The KCDC said it has conducted an investigation into the 119 newborns from the hospital and confirmed the 24 cases. Another five newborns were from the same postnatal care center as the infected babies.

Rotavirus is one of the most common causes of severe and dehydrating diarrhea in infants between three months and young children up to 35 months old.

The KCDC said an increasing number of patients are being infected with the virus, with 139 cases from all age brackets this year.

The virus, which usually spreads between late fall and winter, is very contagious, spreading easily from children who are already infected to other children and sometimes adults. Babies and very young children with rotavirus infections need to be monitored closely. (Yonhap)