The new vaccine to prevent rotavirus does not put babies at an increased risk for intussusception (a type of serious bowel blockage), despite a previous report of a possible link, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says. Rotavirus is the leading cause of diarrhea in babies and young children.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in February that there was a potential risk of intussusception following 28 cases that occurred after infants were given the RotaTeq vaccine. However, there was no evidence at the time indicating whether these new cases could be linked to the vaccine.
Now, the CDC, the FDA, and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) have concluded that the rate of cases of intussusception occurring in children who received the vaccine was no greater than in the general population of kids who been vaccinated. Therefore, the reported cases occurred naturally and weren't linked to the vaccine.
Intussusception is a potentially life-threatening condition that can occur spontaneously, most often in infants, when one portion of the bowel slides into the next. This creates a bowel obstruction that leads to swelling, inflammation, and decreased blood flow to the intestines.
In 1999, a rotavirus vaccine called RotaShield was taken off the market after being linked to an elevated risk of intussusception. After research showed no indication that RotaTeq increased the risk of the condition in more than 70,000 children studied, the FDA approved the new vaccine in 2006 and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) added it to the lineup of routine immunizations given to all infants. The recommendation calls for three doses by mouth at around 2, 4, and 6 months of age.
What This Means to You
This new information from the CDC emphasizes the safety of the rotavirus vaccine, which can protect kids from the extremely contagious rotavirus infection — a major cause of sickness in infants and young children. RotaTeq has been found to prevent nearly 75% of cases of rotavirus infection and 98% of severe cases.
In the United States, rotavirus infects 4 out of 5 kids by the age of 5 with the "stomach flu." Each year, the infection accounts for roughly 3 million cases of diarrhea, up to 70,000 hospitalizations, and several deaths due to severe dehydration and other complications.
Signs of a rotavirus infection include fever, nausea, and vomiting often followed by abdominal cramps, and watery diarrhea that can cause dehydration. Kids with diarrhea should be kept home from child-care, playgroups, or school until the diarrhea has stopped. If you're caring for a child with diarrhea, wash your hands often, particularly after going to the bathroom or changing diapers, when caring for another child, and before preparing and serving food.
To help protect kids against serious illnesses like rotavirus, it's important that they receive their immunizations on schedule. Talk to your doctor for more information or if you have concerns about RotaTeq or any other vaccine.
Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: March 2007
