Rotavirus

Rotavirus Vaccine Effective in Preventing Hospitalizations

TUESDAY, Aug. 24 (HealthDay News) -- High three-dose coverage with a universal infant pentavalent rotavirus vaccine (RV5) is effective in preventing rotavirus and non-rotavirus acute gastroenteritis (AGE) hospitalizations in vaccinated children and older individuals who are unvaccinated, according to a study published online Aug. 23 in Pediatrics.
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Some parents ask me whether they should give their baby rotavirus vaccines. Before making a decision, the following facts may be interesting to know:

• Rotavirus is a virus that infects the gastrointestinal tract.
• Nearly every child worldwide will suffer from at least one rotavirus infection before their fifth birthday (Parashar UD et al. Emerg Infect Dis 2003;9565-72). In Malaysia, the leading cause of diarrhoeal hospitalizations among children is due to rotavirus (Bresee JS et al. Emerg Infect Dis 2004;10:988-95). 38% of hospitalizations for diarrhoea in children younger than 5 years old are caused by rotavirus (Hung LC et al. Int J Infect Dis 2006;10:470-4). So, this is a common disease.
• Rotavirus infection can cause acute gastroenteritis. The baby will suffer from diarrhoea, vomiting, fever and abdominal pain. The most dreadful complication is dehydration (loss of fluid and electrolytes), which may lead to organ failure and death if left untreated. So, this can be a serious diease.
• There are currently 2 types of Rotavirus vaccines, Rotarix and Rotateq. To take Rotarix as an example, it can prevent up to 96% of severe rotavirus gastroenteritis and 100% of hospitalization due to rotavirus gastroenteritis (Vesikari T et al. Human Rotavirus vaccine Rotarix is highly eficacious in Europe. Presented at 24th ESPID, Basel, Switzerland, 3-5 May 2006). So, this is effective.
• One of the concerns with rotavirus vaccines is their association with the risk of intussuception. Rotarix has been extensively studied in worldwide clinical trials with more than 60,000 infants. Results showed that with Rotarix, there is no increased risk of intussuception (Ruiz-Palacios GM et al. N Engl J Med 2006;354:11-22). So, it is safe.
• The total dose of rotavirus vaccines are 2 doses (Rotarix) or 3 doses (Rotateq). There is no much difference in the cost, about RM 300 in total. A study conducted in Malaysia reported the cost of treating a baby with gastroenteritis in Malaysia is RM 650. So, the cost is acceptable.

In summary, the rotavirus vaccines fulfill the following criteria:

• Preventing a common disease in Malaysia.
• Preventing a potentially serious disease in Malaysia.
• A safe vaccine.
• An effective vaccine.
• A cost-effective vaccine.

Therefore, I strongly recommend rotavirus vaccine to all Malaysian children.