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Routine rotavirus vaccine reduced disease circulation in US children
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Nationwide, the rate of rotavirus detection declined sharply in the United States after routine rotavirus vaccinations were implemented in 2007, according to a recent MMWR.
Before routine vaccinations, rotavirus resulted in 55,000 to 70,000 hospitalizations and 410,000 clinic visits each year for U.S. children, CDC researchers wrote.
Using data from the CDC’s National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS), the researchers compared disease trends in the 7 years before and after the vaccine was introduced. Each week, Roughly 75 to 90 participating labs submit data weekly to the NREVSS on respiratory and enteric viruses, such as the number of stool samples tested for rotavirus.
The trend analysis revealed that national rotavirus detection rates declined following routine vaccination was introduced in 2007, ranging from 57.8% to 89.9%. In addition, the researchers observed changes in rotavirus seasonal patterns after vaccine introduction.
“The later onset and shorter duration of rotavirus seasons in a postvaccine era, including some years without a defined rotavirus season, could be the result of fewer unvaccinated, susceptible infants, resulting in reduced intensity and duration of rotavirus transmission,” the researchers wrote. “This reduced transmission of rotavirus likely also explains the declines in rates of rotavirus disease that have been seen in unvaccinated older children and even in some adult age groups in postvaccine years compared with the prevaccine era, resulting from the phenomenon known as herd immunity.”
The researchers also saw a biennial rotavirus activity pattern in the postvaccine era. In some years, there was low activity and highly erratic seasonality; in others, activity was greater but seasonality was similar to the prevaccine years, according to the report.
“The findings in this report are consistent with the high field effectiveness of vaccination observed in post-licensure epidemiologic studies,” the researchers wrote. “Taken together, these findings reaffirm the large public health impact of routine rotavirus vaccination in reducing the circulation of rotavirus among U.S. children.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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