Pentavalent rotavirus vaccine reduces severe rotavirus infections

January 01, 0001

Pentavalent rotavirus vaccine reduces severe rotavirus infections

This group of US researchers examined the efficacy of complete and partial vaccination using the pentavalent rotavirus vaccine (RV5) in preventing severe acute gastroenteritis (AGE). They performed a prospective population-based surveillance for AGE and acute respiratory infection (ARIs) of children in both emergency department and inpatient settings with case- control evaluation. Cases of laboratory-confirmed rotavirus AGE were matched to 2 sets of control. One control was rotavirus-negative children with AGE and the other was children with ARI.

The researchers found: "Of age-eligible children enrolled, 18% of cases, 54% of AGE controls, and 54% of ARI controls received =1 dose of RV5. The vaccine effectiveness (VE) of RV5 for 1, 2, and 3 doses against all rotavirus genotypes with the use of rotavirus-negative AGE controls was 74%, 88%, and 87%, respectively, and with the use of ARI controls was 73%, 88%, and 85%, respectively. The overall VE estimates were comparable during the first and second years of life and against AGE caused by different rotavirus strains."

The researchers concluded: "RV5 was highly effective in preventing severe rotavirus disease, even after a partial series, with protection persisting throughout the second year of life."

While not completely effective, this study finds that the pentavalent rotavirus vaccine reduces the risk of severe gastroenteritis.

For the full abstract, click here.

Pediatrics 128(2):e267-e275, August 2011 © 2011 American Academy of Pediatrics
Effectiveness of Pentavalent Rotavirus Vaccine Against Severe Disease. Mary Allen Staat, Daniel C. Payne, Stephanie Donauer, et al.

Category: D. Digestive. Keywords: rotavirus, pentavalent, vaccine, gastroenteritis, hospitalization, case-control study, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by Dr Paul Schaefer, Toledo, Ohio. Posted on Global Family Doctor 13 September 2011

Pearls are an independent product of the Cochrane primary care group and are meant for educational use and not to guide clinical care.

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