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Study links rotavirus vaccine to reduction in diarrhea-associated hospitalizations in US
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A study to correlate rotavirus vaccine coverage with changes in rates of diarrhea-associated hospitalizations of children under 5 years of age has concluded that approximately 65,000 such hospitalizations were prevented during the 2007-2009 study period.
“Because rotavirus is most prevalent from January through June, we also restricted analyses to this 6-month period, for improved specificity,” the authors wrote in their article in the New England Journal of Medicine.
During the January to June periods of 2008 and 2009, the respective relative rate reductions among vaccinated children as compared with unvaccinated children were: hospitalization for diarrhea, 44% and 58%; rotavirus-coded hospitalization, 89% and 89%; emergency department visits for diarrhea, 37% and 48%; and outpatient visits for diarrhea, 9% and 12%.
Nationally, for the 2007 to 2009 period, the study concludes there was an estimated reduction of 64,855 hospitalizations, saving approximately $278 million in treatment costs.
Disclosures: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.