Study predicts modest impact from additional dose of rotavirus vaccine

Giving children an additional dose of rotavirus vaccine when they are nine months old would provide only a modest improvement in the vaccine’s effectiveness in low-income countries concerned about waning protection against the highly contagious disease, according to a new study led by the Yale School of Public Health and the Institute of Infection and Global Health at the University of Liverpool. Rotavirus is the leading cause of morbidity and death from severe diarrhea in children worldwide. Rotavirus vaccines have had a substantial impact on reducing incidence of rotavirus-associated gastroenteritis or RVGE in high- and middle-income countries. The vaccines’ impact in low-income countries has been less defined. The vast majority of rotavirus deaths occur in Asia and Africa. Clinical trials have reported 85-99% vaccine efficacy in high-income countries compared to only 39-67% efficacy in low-income countries. In response to concerns about the vaccines’ effectiveness in low-income countries, a team of researchers led by...