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While the safety of vaccines remains debated in some settings, a new report highlights the usefulness of vaccination, especially rotavirus.
Since the introduction of rotavirus vaccine in 2006, cases of this disease – which causes severe and sometimes fatal gastroenteritis, especially in infants – have collapsed, according to a new report from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (CDC).
"This study demonstrates that the rotavirus vaccine has significantly reduced the burden and modified the seasonal nature of rotavirus disease in the United States," says lead author Ben Hallowell, PHD, MPH, officer of the country's epidemic intelligence service. CDC National Immunization Center. Respiratory diseases, division of viral diseases.
The CDC currently recommends two rotavirus vaccines, both administered orally in the first months of life, with the series completed at 8 months of age.
Changing history
Rotavirus was the leading cause of severe gastroenteritis in children prior to vaccine introduction in 2006, and the new report badyzed the prevalence of the disease since the introduction of the vaccine. The CDC collected pre-vaccine data from 2000 to 2006 and post-vaccine from 2007 to 2018, and found that the annual percentage of positive rotavirus tests increased from 25.6% during the pre-vaccine at 6.1% during the post-vaccination period.1 according to the research.
In addition, the peak annual positivity increased from 43.1% in the pre-vaccine period to 14% after the vaccine, and the length of the season increased from 26 weeks in the 9-week period before vaccination. weeks during the post-vaccination period.
The study concluded that the vaccine had significantly reduced rotavirus burden, even with coverage of about 70% nationwide.
Despite the success of the vaccine, however, the study found a two-year disease pattern with alternating high and low viral activities, Hallowell says.
"We do not know the exact cause of this biennial pattern, but we know that this pattern is not observed in other countries where vaccination rates are higher," he said. "If we improve immunization coverage and vaccinations on time, we will avoid new cases of rotavirus and perhaps eliminate this two-year seasonal pattern."
The CDC notes that it takes a team effort from all providers and non-clinical staff to improve immunization rates and help parents make vaccination decisions. Hallowell hopes the study will help clinicians to continue to improve immunization rates and further reduce the burden of this disease, which claims more than 200,000 lives worldwide each year.
"This work demonstrates that rotavirus vaccination has significantly reduced the burden of disease in the United States and altered seasonal patterns," Hallowell said. "Hopefully, this evidence will further encourage health care providers to continue to improve coverage and rotavirus immunization on time."
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