No Excess Risk for Intussusception from Pentavalent Rotavirus Vaccine

Two rotavirus vaccines, RV5 and RV1, have been licensed in the U.S. since 2006 and 2008, respectively. Licensure was granted after extensive U.S. safety studies showed no increased incidence of intussusception after vaccination. However, postlicensure data in Australia, Mexico, and Brazil have documented some increased risk for intussusception after administration of the first dose; results differed by country and by vaccine (JW Infect Dis Jun 15 2011).

To reconcile these contradictory findings with respect to RV5, investigators analyzed data from the U.S.-based Vaccine Safety Datalink. They compared infants who had received RV5 from May 2006 through February 2010 with infants who had received other recommended vaccines that did not contain …