Health Bulletin
Studies show swift impact of rotavirus vaccines
Countries that vaccinate babies against rotavirus, which can cause severe diarrhoea and kill in days, have significantly reduced the number of children admitted to hospitals with the disease, a report showed recently.
Data from countries where rotavirus vaccines have recently become part of routine childhood immunisations, show steep and swift falls in the number of children under five becoming ill with the virus. It also shows large reductions in rotavirus disease among older, unvaccinated children, suggesting that vaccination of babies may also limit the overall amount of virus transmission, giving what is known as "herd immunity" — which may help policymakers and donors to support and implement WHO recommendations to introduce rotavirus vaccines in all countries as soon as possible.
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