A rotavirus outbreak in Wellington doesn't have Bay of Plenty health officials worried.

At least four early-childhood centres in the capital city and the Lower Hutt have reported recent outbreaks of the virus.

The rotavirus vaccine is now part of the childhood immunisation schedule.

Bay of Plenty Medical Officer of Health Dr Phil Shoemack says they haven't been advised of any particular problems in recent weeks.

Rotavirus is a highly contagious virus infecting the intestine, and causes vomiting and diarrhoea.

It can be very serious, and is common in younger children.

'By the time they get to school, most New Zealanders have had rotavirus. Not all of them will be particularly sick and some will end up in hospital,” says Phil.

'Some of them might have been off colour for a day without the parents not even knowing they are particularly unwell.”

To help combat the virus, a rotavirus vaccine is now available as part of the childhood immunisation schedule.

Phil says this is good news as it means there should be less and less cases in New Zealand.

'Even though in most instances children who get rotavirus don't get severely unwell, a proportion do end up in hospital and for them it can be quite debilitating for a few days and certainly of concern, but it's also just the general burden of diarrhoea. 'You add up all the care and attention they need, let alone the trauma for themselves, it's really good that hopefully in the next few years we will see less and less cases.”