Rotavirus Vaccine

About Rotavirus Vaccine

Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe diarrhea in infants and young children worldwide. The first rotavirus vaccine, RotaShield, was licensed in 1998 but withdrawn in 1999 due to an association with intussusception, a bowel obstruction. The withdrawal delayed rotavirus vaccine development. RotaTeq, licensed in the US in 2006, and Rotarix, licensed in the US in 2008, were developed with enhanced safety testing. Both vaccines have a much lower risk of intussusception than RotaShield. Before vaccination, rotavirus killed roughly half a million children annually worldwide. WHO policy supports including rotavirus vaccines in national immunisation programmes. Countries that have introduced the vaccine have seen diarrhea related hospitalizations and deaths fall dramatically. India developed ROTAVAC, a low cost rotavirus vaccine, increasing access in developing countries.