Two New Rotavirus Vaccines Show Promise

In the largest prelicensure vaccine-safety trials ever held, no increased risk for intussusception was identified with either vaccine.

Each year, rotavirus gastroenteritis (RG) results in 25 million clinic visits, 2 million hospitalizations, and 600,000 deaths in young children worldwide, mostly in developing countries. The first rotavirus vaccine, Rotashield, was licensed and approved for routine immunization in the U.S. in 1998 but was soon withdrawn because of an association with intussusception. Two other rotavirus vaccines have since demonstrated safety, immunogenicity, and protection, but larger studies were required to eliminate the possibility of vaccine-associated intussusception. Now, researchers have examined the efficacy and safety of these vaccines in large-scale, company-sponsored trials.

Vesikari and colleagues studied Rotateq, a live pentavalent vaccine cont…

Reviewing Author

Robert S. Baltimore, MD