Rotavirus vaccine not linked to increased intussusception

The rotovirus vaccine was pulled from the marketplace in 1999 after being associated with painful gastrointestinal complications, however, the updated rotavirus vaccines do not appear to increase the occurrence of these potentially fatal side effects, according to a new study by child health experts at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. The new study shows the re-introduction of the vaccine, in 2006 and 2008, has not caused an increase in a severe bowel obstruction called intussusception, the side effect that led to the original vaccine’s withdrawal. “We always need to carefully weigh the risks and benefits of childhood vaccines. Fortunately, our results suggest that rotavirus vaccines have not increased the rate of intussusception in the U.S.,” says pediatrician Joe Zickafoose, M.D., M.S., a research fellow with the Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit. Recent international studies have shown that, among vaccinated infants, the two latest rotavirus vaccines may be associated with a small increase...