Rotavirus vaccination
| Vaccine description | |
|---|---|
| Target disease | rotavirus |
| Type | Attenuated virus |
| Clinical data | |
| AHFS/Drugs.com | Monograph |
| MedlinePlus | a607024 |
| License data |
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| Pregnancy category |
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| Routes of administration |
by mouth |
| ATC code | |
| Identifiers | |
| ChemSpider |
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Rotavirus vaccine is a vaccine used to protect against rotavirus infections. These viruses are the leading cause of severe diarrhea among young children. The vaccines prevent 15 to 34% of severe diarrhea in the developing world and 37 to 96% of severe diarrhea in the developed world. The vaccines decrease the risk of death among young children due to diarrhea. Immunizing babies decreases rates of disease among older people and those who have not been immunized.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that rotavirus vaccine be included in national routine vaccinations programs, especially in areas where the disease is common. This should be done along with promoting breastfeeding, handwashing, clean water and good sanitation. It is given by mouth and requires two or three doses. It should be given starting around six weeks of age.
The vaccines are safe. This includes their use in people with HIV/AIDS. An earlier vaccine that is no longer used was linked to intussusception, but the current versions are not clearly linked. Due to a potential risk they are not recommended in babies who have had intussusception. The vaccines are made from weakened rotavirus.
The vaccine first became available in the United States in 2006. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system. The wholesale cost in the developing world is between US$6.96 and $20.66 per dose as of 2014. In the United States it is more than US$200. As of 2013 there are two types of vaccine available globally, Rotarix and RotaTeq. Others are used in some countries.
A 2009 review estimated that vaccination against rotavirus would prevent about 45% of deaths due to rotavirus gastroenteritis, or about 228,000 deaths annually worldwide. At US$5 per dose, the estimated cost per life saved was $3,015, $9,951 and $11,296 in low-, lower-middle-, and upper-middle-income countries, respectively.
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