Study finds rotavirus vaccine is safe & effective

This week, NPR's science blog "Shots" posted a great piece on the safety and effectiveness of the rotavirus vaccine! The first rotavirus vaccine, called Rotashield, was introduced in 1998 but pulled off the market in 1999 after it was determined to greatly increase the risk of intussusception, a serious condition that causes twisting of the intestines.

New rotavirus vaccines were developed and released in 2006 and 2008, but fears persist. However, a recent American study surveyed hundreds of thousands of rotavirus immunizations, and found no increased risk with the newer vaccines. NPR writes,

Researchers looked at a big database of American children who had been given the new RotaTeq vaccine (made by Merck) between 2006 and 2010. They looked at 786,725 doses, of which 309,844 were first doses. They found no increase in intussusception. The results were published in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"The benefits of rotavirus vaccine do outweigh risks," says Irene Shui, an epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School and Harvard-Pilgrim Health Care Institute who is the lead author of the study. This study was funded in part by a contract with the Centers Disease Control and Prevention.

The post at NPR also has a great video interview with Irene Shui, which any parent with questions about rotavirus and the vaccine should watch!

Rotavirus is the most common cause of hospitalization for diarrhea and vomiting in Canada- almost all Canadian children will be infected with rotavirus at least once by 5 years of age. Rotavirus still causes almost 500,000 deaths worldwide, nearly all in children under 5. The rotavirus vaccine is available free to infants, and prevents nearly all of the rotavirus infections that cause hospitalization. Learn more at ImmunizeBC!

Share your feelings about the rotavirus vaccine on the I Have Immunity Facebook Page, or tweet at us!