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Rotavirus vaccination sustains herd immunity in US
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Data suggest a significant and sustained decrease in the incidence for seasonal rotavirus activity as well as evidence of herd immunity years after the introduction of the rotavirus vaccine in the United States, according to study results.
Since the approval of the RotaTeq vaccine (RV5; rotavirus vaccine, Merck) in 2006 and the Rotarix vaccine (RV1; rotavirus vaccine, GlaxoSmithKline) in 2008, data indicate rapid uptake of rotavirus vaccination in the U.S. — 44% in 2009, 59% in 2010 and approximately 70% in 2012, according to the study published in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.
“The objective of this analysis was to confirm a sustained reduction in the incidence of rotavirus gastroenteritis and severe acute gastroenteritis following the introduction of the rotavirus vaccine,” T. Christopher Mast, PhD, MSc, of the department of epidemiology at Merck, and colleagues wrote.
The researchers assessed rotavirus-associated medical insurance claims that included infants born from January 2002 through July 2011 to compare rotavirus gastroenteritis and severe acute gastroenteritis incidence among vaccinated and unvaccinated infants. They also assessed the incidence for both conditions during the pre- and post-rotavirus vaccine eras.
Infants were categorized as: those who received rotavirus vaccination, those who received DTaP vaccination before the introduction of rotavirus vaccine, and those who received DTaP without concurrent rotavirus vaccination during the period when the vaccine was available. There were 140,952 infants in the rotavirus vaccine cohort and 131,529 infants in the DTaP cohort.
Overall, more than 91% of rotavirus vaccinations administered were RV5. When compared with DTaP-vaccinated infants who did not receive rotavirus vaccination, the mean peak incidence for rotavirus medical encounters was 95% to 96% lower among infants who received rotavirus vaccination.
During the period when rotavirus vaccinations were available, infants who were vaccinated with DTaP but did not receive concurrent rotavirus vaccination, the incidence for rotavirus gastroenteritis was lower when compared with infants vaccinated with DTaP during the pre-rotavirus vaccine era (110 per 100,000 infants vs. 151 per 100,000 infants).
Researchers also found that the highest incidence for rotavirus gastroenteritis during 2007 and 2011 occurred among the older infants who did not receive the rotavirus vaccine.
“Overall, the results of this study demonstrate that rotavirus vaccination has been associated with a marked reduction in rotavirus gastroenteritis health care encounters via both the impact of vaccination and also indirect herd protection,” the researchers concluded. – by Jennifer Southall
Disclosure: Mast reports being employed by Merck, which funded the study. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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